


Necronomicon

by Zancrow



Category: Naruto, 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Horror, Multi, Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 35,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24262189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zancrow/pseuds/Zancrow
Summary: {Naruto / Nezuko} Naruto and Tanjiro struggle to keep Nezuko out of the hands of an unholy collaboration between Muzan and Orochimaru. As an unlikely alliance is born between Shinobi and Slayer, Naruto comes to known the peculiar girl who’s even more demonic than him.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Hashibira Inosuke/Kanzaki Aoi, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten, Kamado Tanjirou/Tsuyuri Kanao, Kochou Shinobu/Tomioka Giyuu, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Uzumaki Naruto/Kamado Nezuko
Comments: 19
Kudos: 18





	1. Tanjiro & Nezuko: Friend or Foes?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Zancrow here!
> 
> Here's my first ever (I think) crossover fic. This, like my other stories, are posted at FF, but, if you prefer this method (which I very much understand), well, here you are! So, to give you guys an idea, this story features Naruto in a time after his fight with Sasuke in Valley of the End, but before the start of Shippuden. In the case of Tanjiro and Nezuko, they are a bit more advanced in terms of plot than where the anime is at currently, but do not worry, no manga spoilers will be found within this chapter. So, if any of this interests you, do read on, and share your thoughts with me!

They had walked for what seemed like the entire day, from sunrise all the way to almost sunset, with little in terms of training or enjoyment to be found in between. Or rather, any training that he’d consider beneficial in any way at least. His master and trainer in the Shinobi Arts, the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, had been very clear in his instructions to also train him in the legendary art of patience, something which had caused his young ward to loudly groan in disappointment.

The young ninja in training, the somewhat infamous knuckleheaded Naruto Uzumaki, wanted nothing more to get stronger, to get better; to learn more and more Jutsus so that he could get his life back on track to what it had been almost a year ago. Before the criminal known as Orochimaru had invaded and killed the closest thing most of them had to a grandfather. Before the evil organization known as the Akatsuki had entered his home village hell-bent on kidnapping him…

…Before his “best friend” had turned his back on all of them, joining one of their greatest enemies while leaving the blonde broken and beaten on the muddy ground as the rain washed out what was left of their bond.

Naruto violently shook his head, slapping his cheeks in an effort to push those thought out of his mind. It didn’t help to sulk, it didn’t help to be sad. He had his goals clear. Step One: Get Stronger! Step Two: Drag Sasuke back to the Village, avoiding his damn Chidori being a plus! Step Three: Become Hokage, the Leader of his Village and the greatest ninja to ever live!

There were possibly a few more steps that needed to be added in there, somewhere, but he didn’t much care for planning.

Still, that did leave him with his current predicament. Even after having spent almost an entire year with the perverted Sannin that was admittedly a very good teacher and an insanely powerful Shinobi, Naruto still felt that he ended up as a second fiddle whenever the man decided it was time for more of his “research”.

And, if his time with the man had taught him anything, he was sure he could read the guy and know of his intentions before they even left Jiraiya’s head. As such, Naruto, while walking down the dirt road with Jiraiya for what seemed like an eternity, was already prepared for the older man’s “spontaneous idea” to prop up.

“Ah, now isn’t that a refreshing smell and sight!” Jiraiya mused as he stretched out his arms, looking no worse for wear for someone who had been walking for about fourteen hours straight. Before him was the entrance to a small little village, with a few shops and eateries scattered throughout, and undoubtedly a Woman’s Bathing House or two somewhere. “Seems like forever since we’ve stopped and relaxed ourse-Why are you glaring at me?”

“You expect me to buy that we just so happen to walk all day long and we just happened to reach a place where you can go peek at women instead of continuing my training!” Naruto shouted at him, which caused Jiraiya to quickly move and cover the brat’s mouth with his hand, signaling at him to lower his voice, red in the face as he was sure several nearby villagers heard him. Hell, it was Naruto, Konohagakeru probably heard him, even with the massive distance between the two villages.

Then again, for how close they were to the village entrance, not a single villager could be spotted. He knew it was late, but was it really that slow a business day for them? Still, it would probably mean there could be even more “material” for him to research on if he timed it right. But, for that to work, he’d have to “fix” a little certain loudmouth.

“Pipe down, will ya,” Jiraiya told him, as a muffled Naruto kept on arguing even if nothing intelligible could come out. “Do you want my research to be ruined? We’ve been through this already! Six days for training, one day for me-time! And that also means one day for you-time, whatever that means to you! So stop being a brat and-Ouch!”

Jiraiya ended up releasing the boy as soon as Naruto bit down onto his hand, glare still in place.

“Do you think that bastard Orochimaru also tells Sasuke “Hey, we’ve been training for six days straight, why don’t we take it easy today and go peek at four-eyes while he showers!” huh?!” Naruto blasted out, which caused the elder man to go from clenching his aching hand to chuckling in a heartbeat.

“That’d… be pretty funny, honestly,” he admitted.

“You know what I mean!”

“Yeah, yeah, however…” Jiraiya started, and in a flash, Naruto found himself flat on the ground, his back against the dirt, with his master’s foot planted firmly onto his chest. He realized the elder man had done a leg sweep so fast that the boy had not even seen him move, and he was now rendered effectively immobile. “You seem to be overlooking the actual importance of rest and all it can help in becoming stronger.”

“Of course I’m tired, we’ve been walking all day!” Naruto protested, but Jiraiya merely shook his head.

“Listen knucklehead,” he explained. “Much like the muscles in the body, chakra is something that only grows when the body is resting. You need to train yourself, that’s true, but even someone with your abilities is going to end up burned out if you don’t allow your body to rest and show the fruits of all the training your putting in through. Every powerful Shinobi knows this, even someone like Orochimaru. And Sasuke.”

“Hmm…” Naruto muttered, not entirely convinced by knowing he honestly didn’t have much ammunition to use to argue in his favor. As Jiraiya stepped of him, the orange-clad blond stood back up, brushing the dirt off his clothes as he turned to look back onto the little village. Maybe Jiraiya was right, and a little rest wouldn’t hurt. He was hungry after all, and it had been a while since they visited a village that offered ramen, so maybe he’d be lucky enough to get some here.

“So, go on, go eat your ramen!” Jiraiya told him with glee.

“How’d you know that’s what I was thinking?!” Naruto looked at him in shock, which caused Jiraiya to narrow his eyes at the boy.

“Do you ever think of anything else?” he told him. “If it’s not training, it’s ramen, and if it’s not that, it’s Sasuke-this, Sakura-that or Kakashi-something-or-the-other. You really aren’t that hard to read.”

“You’re one to talk!” Naruto argued back as the duo began to make their way to the village. “Spring Hills” the sign read, which made Naruto even more certain of his Master’s true intentions. “You only think of naked chicks and writing scenarios you’ll never be a part off in your crappy book!”

“How dare you!?” Jiraiya shot back, sounding the most offended Naruto had ever heard the man. “They are not crappy, and I’ll have you know I have conquered a ship-load of women, some so pretty you’d fall over on your ass if you ever lay your eyes on them.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Naruto brushed him off, waving his hand in front of his face like if he was trying to shove a fly away. “The prettiest girl you’ve ever hit on is probably Granny Tsunade, and she probably hit on you back, if you catch my drift.”

“Ah, there’s no getting through that empty head of yours is there,” Jiraiya lamented, as the two reached a fork on the road, dividing the small village into different sections. “I always tell you to come join me in my research, yet you barely do so. Some Hokage you’ll turn out to be.”

“What’s that?” Naruto pressed on, ready to fight, but Jiraiya placed his open palm on the young ninja’s head, patting him lightly.

“Please take my advice and get yourself some rest,” Jiraiya told him, his tone now much softer and warmer, something which always caught Naruto utterly off-guard. “Go and eat your ramen and try to relax a bit. We’ll continue our training tomorrow.”

As Jiraiya began to walk away, Naruto noticed how the older man had left a few bills of ryo tangled up on his hair. Naruto quickly took the money offered to him, and as he heard the Pervy Sage tell him “not to spend it all at once”, he couldn’t help but smile. For all his faults, he really felt at ease whenever he was with Jiraiya. It was strange, a feeling he couldn’t quite describe, but not unlike how he felt whenever he had been around his old team, the currently broken Team 7. Or with his previous teacher, Iruka.

Then his stomach growled loudly, almost as if the Nine Tailed Demon living inside was hungry too, and Naruto began to skip towards the nearest food joint.

The hyperactive ninja bounced on the road, on the walls, on the roofs and even on the lampposts as he managed to reach his destination. He landed right outside the entrance, a small little food shop not unlike Ichiraku’s. But it was here that Naruto noticed something. Or rather, he began to realize what he had been seeing since the two of them had gotten there.

…There was nobody there.

All the shops seemed closed. The streets were barren. And not much could be heard aside from a few crickets chirping every now and then. It was honestly a little eerie, but Naruto’s biggest fear in the moment was that he would be left without food, something that he could most certainly not allow.

So, just to be sure, he moved the curtain covering the shop’s entrance to the side…

…and he was met by the barrel of a shotgun that went off right onto his face.

Or rather, had he not had his senses trained to the degree they were, it would not have been a pretty sight. Dodging the blast by ducking out the way at the last second, Naruto instinctively took out a kunai from his ever handy pouch, tackled his would-be murderer onto the back wall of the shop, holding him in place by pushing the shotgun onto his or her chest, carefully aiming the barrel upwards away from either of them, and placing his kunai right across the person’s throat.

“Let me guess,” Naruto voiced, his voice half threatening, half sarcastic. “I’m your one-hundred customer? Mighty fine way to greet a guy who just wants… Huh? You…?”

The shooter looked a lot less than what Naruto had imagined him to be, not so much a big bulking man with expensive sunglasses on, and more a shivering little boy on the verge of tears. He was almost as big as the shotgun itself, and Naruto was outright impressed that such a little kid had managed to fire off such a cumbersome weapon in the first place.

“Uh… I’m like the last person qualified to say this, but,” Naruto began, unsure of what the hell was going on, but sensing deep down that he was not getting any ramen tonight. “You really shouldn’t play with stuff like this. It’s dangerous and stuff… yeah…” Naruto tried, but he couldn’t quite figure out what he was even supposed to be doing here.

“…P-Please, i-if you take m-me,” the kid spoke through tears, “j-just take me t-to wherever you took h-her. I-I don’t want to b-be alone.”

“Took her?” Naruto quickly picked up on that meaning, and his eyes quickly narrowed as his sense of protector to anyone in need took over. He quickly placed the shivering boy down, putting the kunai away and carefully getting the shotgun away from them both, bending down to meet the kid at an eye-level. “Who did they take? And who took her?”

“…M-My sister…” the boy spoke up, and Naruto noticed that he couldn’t be older that seven, maybe eight. Mighty strong grip for such a shrimp, granted, but still. “B-But, you, you aren’t…”

“A kidnapper? Nope! I’m Naruto Uzumaki, a wandering Shinobi, for the moment,” Naruto replied to the question the boy’s eyes seemed to ask, as he pointed to himself proudly with his thumb, flashing the little helpless kid a reassuring smile. “So you’re in luck! Normally a guy like me would cost you a fortune to hire, but just for tonight, Imma help you out for free, just so you don’t wind up murdering any potential customers!”

“S-Shinobi?” the confused kid asked.

“It means ninja!” Naruto answered. “Now then, your sister, tell me about her. Is she older, or younger? Do you have a photo of her or something, or better yet, do you know who took her. I’ll go find her right away!”

“Really!” the kid lit up as Naruto told him this, but just for a moment, as if his hopes were crushed as soon as they appeared when he realized the true gravity of the situation. Naruto looked on, confused, but kept on smiling if anything to reassure the kid. He never went back on his word after all, and he wasn’t planning on starting now. “She’s o-older,” the kid spoke up, seeming to be trying his best to for coherent sentences and answer what Naruto had asked him to. “She t-takes care of me. I have photos, b-but, I-I don’t know where t-they are… I-I can look, I-I can…”

He began to cry again, and Naruto’s gaze softened as he patted the kid of the head.

“Hey, that’s alright, just tell me how she looks like,” he reassured. “And I’ll have her back here in no time. And, if you know who took her; that would also help a lot.”

“I do,” the kid responded, still in tears, but slowly calming himself with Naruto’s presence alone.

“Good, let’s hear it,” Naruto replied, as he began to ponder who could have done such a terrible thing. He didn’t see any evidence of a struggle or a fight, so it was clearly someone skilled, if it had even happened here. Maybe it had been somewhere else, which would in turn make this a little harder. What was he going up against? Other ninja? Unlikely, he’d imagine. Maybe some cartel guys, like the one that had hired Zabuza and Haku way back then? They seemed to favor small placed like this, away from Shinobi. Or maybe it was just a crazy ex-boyfriend, like the ones in Pervy Sage’s stories.

Naruto thought he was ready for whatever it was he was going to face, but as soon as he saw the look the boy gave him he felt his blood run cold. It was not analogy, no comparison, or at least, it clearly didn’t feel like it. The little boy knew what he had seen, and nothing Naruto or anyone could say could change his mind. And, for just a moment, Naruto believed it too. And for that very moment, he thought that maybe he would be confronting something he had not at all been trained to fight.

“I-It was,” the little boy answered, his voice ice cold, “a-a Demon.”

-0-

It was already dark out, with not much lighting to shine their path forwards aside from the half visible moon and a scattered few stars decorating the night’s sky. The dirt road he walked on was uneven, which made him feel like he was zigzagging in-between all the trees instead of being allowed to walk straight to his destination. Not that it mattered much, as arriving any sooner than now would be a waste of time, as what he needed to do could only be done beneath the darkness of the night.

He paused for a moment, his steps coming to a halt as he began to hear a soft sound coming directly from behind him. It startled him briefly, before he realized what it was and just how long ago it had been since he had heard it.

At this, the young Demon Slayer Tanjiro Kamado smile fondly, as the sounds of his younger sister softly snoring on the box given to the by their Master made their way onto his ears. How long had it been since he had heard such a human sound from her. She slept a lot, that much he knew, but not once had he heard her snore, or twist and turn in her sleep. Whenever his little sister Nezuko slept, it looked more like a corpse or a person in comatose as oppose to a young girl sleeping to regain her strength. Did she even dream? He didn’t know, and what little he could communicate with her amounted to simply him pushing her forwards and her obeying, a far cry from the sheer tenderness and wit his little sister once possessed when she was still amongst the living.

He shook his head. He had long promised that he wouldn’t let such things cloud his mind. Such things could and would slow his progress, affect his ability to fight and protect people, his sister included. He knew what he had to do, and he was more or less on the right path to do it. Save Nezuko, kill Kibutsuji Muzan and any other demons that stood in his way, be they Lower Moons, Upper Moons, or whatever.

“Message for Tanjiro! Message for Tanjiro!” a familiar sounding crow crowed as he flew over the siblings, circling above Tanjiro’s head briefly before he landed on the boy’s outstretched arm.

“That’s a first,” Tanjiro noted, as he softly patted the bird on the head, still marveling at how it took him fifteen years on this world to know that some animals could actually talk. “I’m just about to reach my destination right now, so I didn’t expect you to drop in before I even had the chance to behead this demon. Don’t tell me I have another mission ready before I even had the opportunity to unsheathe my blade.”

“Incorrect!” the crow replied, as he pointed with his beak to a few pieces of paper tied to his leg. Tanjiro quickly removed them from their messenger, noticing two different notes directed at him. The crow seemed to nod at the boy, before flying away, but not before adding, “Best of luck on your mission!”

“Yeah, thanks… he didn’t even let me thank him properly,” Tanjiro mused, as he turned his attention back to the messages at hand. “Would you look at that Nezuko? We got some crow-service mail, maybe it’s a good omen for this next job, huh?”

His sister could still be heard snoring softly, buried in a sleep so heavy that nothing short of a fight would probably wake her. And again, her older brother couldn’t help but smile and get teary-eyed over such a simple, dumb and yet so human thing from her.

“Let’s see then,” he continued, turning his attention to the first page, noticing that the letter he was looking at was insanely wet, for some reason. “Did this catch rain? I mean, it’s not fully drenched, as the ink is still mostly visible, but…” he voiced, as he read on, realizing the letter had been sent by his friend, partner and fellow Demon Slayer Zenitsu Agatsuma, and just like that, the reason why the paper was wet made a whole lot more sense.

“Tanjiro! It’s me, Zenitsu! This is horrible! Like, I mean it, I’m probably going to bite it for sure this time! Thanks to that dumb train, we’ve are now getting sent on even more dangerous missions! Like, why?! We can barely fight Lower Moons, and what are they expecting us to do? Fight Upper ones? I tell you, this is it, the day I die! And don’t think I’ve forgotten that it’s thanks to you I’ll die an unmarried man! I swear I’ll haunt you once I die for that, but not too much, because I also like you… Speaking of ma-No, I mean, how’s Nezuko?! This next part is for her, let her read it!”

“…I’d rather not,” a bemused Tanjiro muttered.

“Nezuko! My sweet, adorable, strong, radiant beauty! How are you? Do you miss me? Well, I miss you so much! Every night I dream of the day I get to see you again, even if this da-I mean, this organization is insistent that I die every time they send me out. But, even now, as I write you this, tears streaming down my cheeks as I realize my mortality, one thing keeps me going. Your beauty! Your hair! Your eyes; which may I add are a little creepy but in the best way possible! So please wait for me, Nezuko, for I will somehow survive this in order to come back and see you again!

With much Love,  
Your pal Zenitsu!

P.S.: Take care of your brother. He is strong, but sometimes I feel he tries to take on the whole world on. I just want you both to know, that if it’s for him or for you, I’ll fight. I will probably die, but hey, I’ll at least tire the demon enough that his knuckles will hurt after he punches me to death! …This was not the emotional way I wanted to end this letter…”

Tanjiro couldn’t help but smile at the emotional mess of a letter his friend had sent, and nodded briefly as if replying to Zenitsu. “Fine, you win, I’ll give this to Nezuko. No promises she’ll understand it, but hey, best I can do.”

Then he turned to the other letter…

…And he felt mentally slapped.

It wasn’t a letter.

It was a drawing…

…A very poor drawing at that…

…of a pig, wielding a sword on his mouth…

…standing a top of a bunch of stick figures with exes for eyes.

“…Inosuke,” was all Tanjiro could say, as he tried to make sense of the picture. He could clearly picture the scenario in his head…

“I don’t write no letters!” the third member of their Demon Slaying trio, beast master Inosuke Hashibira, shouted out defiantly, as Tanjiro’s crow flew about, glaring at the boar-like swordsman. “Hell, I don’t write at all! So go away, I have my mission already!”

“…Tanjiro and Zenitsu have agreed to begin writing to one another,” the crow replied, looking as done as a crow could.

“Who cares?!” Inosuke barked back. “Let them waste their time! In the meantime, I’ll be swimming in slayed demons! Me, the Great Lord Inosuke, while they marvel at my mastery, and stuff!”

“…” the crow paused, then remembered what Zenitsu had told him when he handed the letter to him. He sighed, annoyed at the lengths he’d go to help these kids out, even if just a little. Still, the blonde’s words did have some weight to them.

“Here’s a little trick I learned from Tanjiro: challenge his ego,” Zenitsu had said, “Then he’ll agree to anything.”

“…No problem,” the crow told the boar, before he laid out his bait. “Tanjiro and Zenitsu did inform me that they were much better in the art of “correspondence” than you, so it is to be expected. I will now be on my way to-”

“What the hell did you say!?” Inosuke growled so harshly that the crow felt it had fallen into the clutches of a predator, as the eyes on the swordsman’s boar mask seemed to light up in sheer rage. “They are not better than me! I, Inosuke, can totally make better letters! Beautiful letters! Filled with letter-y stuff! Here, you bear witness to my greatness! Give me a paper and a writing thing!”

Then the boar proceeded to draw.

“See, now they don’t have to read no boring words!” he explained as he showed of his “masterpiece”, smiling from ear to ear in a display of pride that was lost to all given that his mask covered any and all facial features. “Instead, they’ll instantly know how much ass I’m kicking, see that on top is me! And those on the bottom are the demons! Amazing, ain’t it?!”

The crow said nothing.

“…I may have to give my feathered friend a “thank you” gift for all of this,” a bemused Tanjiro noted. Regardless, he carefully tucked both “letters” away onto his clothing, keeping them safe so he could show them to Nezuko later. Because, even if the two of those guys were a far cry from the description of sanity, Tanjiro could not be more thankful for having met the two of them. Even in such a dark and bleak world, that had taken everything from him, and had forced him to live clinging onto the shred of what was left of his little sister, whenever he was around Zenitsu and Inosuke, he felt like he had actual gained two brothers…

…And that gave him far more strength to carry on than he’d ever be able to properly convey onto words, written or otherwise.

With that in mind, the young teen continued his way towards the barely visible “Spring Hills” village, where his mission objective laid in wait, but his short walk was brought to a sudden halt the moment he felt something tangle up onto his ankle and gave the boy a tight pull directly upwards, almost knocking the sibling duo upside down.

A swift slice from his holy blade cut through the rope like it was nothing, allowing for an uninjured Tanjiro to land back at the spot he had been pulled from, his eyes wide with surprise yet his senses now fully aware of his surrounding and awaiting a follow-up attack.

“A trap?” he noted softly, as to not attract any unwanted attention. “Never seen a demon do that, it was almost like the ones that-”

Then he was pulled again, in the very same way.

A clearly flustered Tanjiro proceeded to quickly cut the second rope with another sword slash and landed gracefully back on the ground, this time taking care not to fall for the same trap twice. “They laid out a second trap right under the first one… quite clever, even if the traps are nothing like Master’s. Still, I can’t afford to get sloppy now.”

The boy’s acute sense of smell took over all the senses, and within moments, he had registered a proper sent as the person behind the traps. Furthermore, set up nearby, he could sniff out several more traps, of varying degree of originality, lying in wait for him.

‘That’s strange…’ the Slayer thought, as he pieced together the would-be scenario thanks to his ever helpful nose. ‘I can only pick up one distinct scent… and boy is it distinct. But, it’s all over the place, and pretty recent too. To do all this, it feels like it’s the work of a group, yet I can only pick up on one. No matter, one is enough. Maybe they can mask their scent, but if I can find one, I can reach the rest. This mission might be a little bit harder than we anticipated, so it seems like I’ll have something to brag about with Zenitsu and Inosuke.”

And with that in mind, his sword at hand, and a confident smirk in his face, the young swordsman began to dash towards the source of the scent, by passing all the remaining traps with ease, as now, with their scent as clear as day to him, they could no longer take him by surprise. During all this, as the boy made a mad dash towards his would-be target, the sleeping girl did not stir. She continued to sleep soundly…

…dreaming of days long gone by.

-0-

“Can all ninjas do that?” the little boy asked Naruto, now having calmed down a great deal more, much to the latter’s relief. The little boy, named Yahiko, which Naruto finally managed to wrestle out of him, looked at the older boy in awe, as if looking up at a superhero of sorts. And, of course, Naruto would not be bothered to correct him if he were to voice it.

“Well, some of them can! But, don’t sell my technique short, almost nobody can match the sheer extent that I can use it in!” Naruto boasted as Yahiko eyed him, his expression unreadable, which made Naruto have a hard time deciphering is the kid was impressed or disappointed. “So just you wait,” Naruto continued, deciding to consider the kid impressed and get on with it. “I’ll have your sister back in no time!”

“…I never did quite describe her…” Yahiko voiced, his tone sounding worried, as if he were to start crying again. Hearing this caused Naruto to sweat a bit, rubbing the back of his head with a dorky expression.

“Oh, yeah, we sort of skipped over that,” he sheepishly replied. “Just that she’s about my age, and she has your hair color, right? So, what else can you tell me about her?”

“Would it help?”

“What do you mean?” a confused Naruto asked, closing his foxlike eyes and turning his head to the side.

“…Well,” Yahiko tried to explain, even if he didn’t sound that certain himself. “You really aren’t here, are you? Isn’t that how you told me it works?”

“Oh, guess so,” the clone replied, realizing that he couldn’t convey the information back to his main self unless he canceled the Jutsu, which would in turn leave the poor kid alone again, which was the reason he had left a clone there in the first place. “…Ah, don’t worry, he’ll-I mean, I’ll figure it out! Don’t think I’ll run into dozens of damsels in distress this time of night, do ya?”

As the shadow clone conversed with Yahiko, both seemingly safe inside the little food shop that Naruto had no idea if the kid’s family owned or not, the real Naruto was busy setting up traps all over the seemingly village.

‘The kid wasn’t joking,’ he thought, as he bounced from roof to roof, looking for locations where the kidnapper could try to run from him so he could set a trap up, careful not to set up anything outright deadly, just in case any innocent would walk into any of them. ‘This place is a ghost town. What happened? Was it because of this demon guy, whoever he is? And not only that, where the hell is Pervy Sage? This village ain’t that big, so where did that guy run off to?’

As he began to ponder the whereabouts of his Master, Naruto landed a top a light post, using his Chakra to keep himself standing straight even if he had landed on its side, his view of the village no shifted into a complete ninety degree angle.

But, when the pondering youth reopened his eyes, he was met with a sight he didn’t think he’d see; a person he wasn’t sure why he felt he was not ever going to have met otherwise.

Blue eyes met red eyes.

Shinobi in-training met Demon Slayer in-training.

Tanjiro Kamado looked right up at the orange clad boy standing sideways on the wooden pole, his grip on his hilt tightening, as the scent he had been chasing finally had a face, which was oddly human at that. Tanjiro noted all the weaponry the boy held, undoubtedly the mastermind behind all the traps set around the village’s entrance.

Naruto, on the other hand, looked on, confused, at the sight before him. A boy, close to his age, dressed as a samurai complete with an awesome looking sword, carrying a creepy coffin on his back and glaring at him like he had just slapped his mother. Still, the description fit, so with the swordsman in his sights, Naruto figured he had just lucked out.

“Before we fight,” Tanjiro broke the silence, and Naruto inwardly sulked, as the guy sounded manlier than him. How he hated sounding like a kid still. Tanjiro didn’t seem fazed by the expressions on the blonde, ignoring them entirely. “Tell me,” he continued. “Are there more victims you’re keeping from us?”

“Victims?” Naruto repeated, cocking his head to the side, arms still crossed. “Buddy, I have no idea what you’re talking about. But, let me ask you this, do you by any chance have a girl with you. About my age? Black hair? Has a brother who’s worried sick for her?”

“You mean…?” Tanjiro spoke up, as his eyes widened. His mind quickly went to his sister. ‘That description, it can’t be. Is he referring to Nezuko? Damn it, I knew Muzan knew of her, and he’s sent demons after us before, but even this far out, he’s reach is still so…’

“Seems like I struck gold, huh?” Naruto triumphantly announced, as he jumped away from the pole and landed right in front of Tanjiro, pointing his index finger directly at the other boy. “Give her here you creep, or else Imma flatten you!”

“If you’re talking about Nezuko, you’ll have to walk over my dead body to get her!” Tanjiro growled, his stance shifting, something which Naruto quickly noticed, even if he couldn’t quite recognize the stance. Still, he could very well tell it was dangerous.

“I don’t know her name, but you are giving her back to where she belongs!” Naruto declared, pounding his fist onto his open palm, before he took a fighting stance as well. “I already promised someone I’ll take her back, and I never go back on my word! Belie-”

The catchphrase was cut short the moment Naruto’s head left his body, as Tanjiro’s blade had sliced it cleanly off, leaving only the droplets of water to wash away the blood from the fallen.

“…Breath of Water: First Style,” Tanjiro softly spoke up, as he landed a few feet from the defeated opponent. “Water Surface Slice…” he continued, his tone somber. “I… I’m sorry, I never even got your name. It’s not your fault, Muzan made you into that, and I hope you’ll find peace. It’s all I can off-”

“The hell did you do that for?!”

Tanjiro could only react in utter shock as the wail from his “downed” opponent blasted right into his ears, and while his hearing was not to the level of, say, Zenitsu, it gave off quite the impression.

“Who just goes and chops someone’s head off like that,” Naruto barked out, now standing on top of one of the nearby roofs he had previously been bouncing off of. “Now I get the demon part, you’re like a baby Zabuza.”

“How’d you…?” Tanjiro asked, bewildered, as he turned to where the body had fallen. There was no longer a body there. ‘Wood? From the light post? But I could have sworn I hit him?”

“No more “Mr. Nice Guy” then, get ready you demon-wannabe!” Naruto declared, and before Tanjiro could properly process what was happening, he shouted out. “Ninja Arts! Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

A hand sign later, and one became fifty.

Tanjiro could only look in awe as the village turned into a battlefield, with roofs and even the streets filled with the same orange-clad individual, multiplied by the dozens. And it was no trick, Tanjiro noted, as they each moved individually, as if they were a different person. But… the scent was the same. Like a humans, but darker, as if tainted by something. Tanjiro was sure he knew by just what it was. ‘This must be his Blood Demon Technique. I got careless, just because his eyes weren’t marked! I can’t afford these rookie mistakes, get it together! He wants Nezuko, and he won’t get her!”

With a battle cry, the Narutos launched themselves at Tanjiro, all aiming to unarm him and restrain him, but Tanjiro was ready. He shifted his stance, and relaxed his breathing into the proper rhythm he needed, just as he had been taught during that latest grueling training. And he moved.

He sliced the first two clones than had approached him from the air, both with the same swing. Instead of the blood he had grown to expect, Tanjiro was met by two clouds of smoke that emitted as soon as he hit their bodies, surprising the Slayer. He dodged a few strikes from the clones coming to him from the street, and met their kunai knives with his own blade, shattering them all upon contact. Such blades, even if high quality, paled in comparison to the enhanced swords the Demon Slayers wield. 

Naruto quickly noticed this.

“Ooookay, change of plans!” Naruto announced as he, original still standing a top on of the roofs, quickly signaled his remaining clones. In that very instant, the all jumped away from Tanjiro, as the Slayer quickly turned his attention to the real Naruto, realizing that the one who had spoken must be the actual “body” he needed to behead. As such, he took aim towards him, but Naruto acted quicker. “Eat this! Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

And Tanjiro’s eyes went completely wide as each remaining clone threw those ninja throwing stars at him, which then multiplied even more, almost covering his entire field of view. He barely had time to react.

“Sixth Style: Twisting Whirlpool!”

In another flash of what seemed to be water, Tanjiro swung his blade around creating a massive “twister” which broke every single shuriken thrown at him by the sheer force alone, even if they had not connected directly with his blade.

“This guy…” Naruto snarled, his eyes narrowed in surprise. “He knows some sick Water Jutsu.”

“Seventh Style!” Tanjiro roared, and within a moment’s notice, he had stabbed a shocked Naruto through the gut. “Piercing Rain Drop…”

Then Naruto vanished again, another Substitution Jutsu, but Tanjiro had expected it. Locking onto his scent, Tanjiro twisted his blade, and moved again. Same technique, but at an angle.

“Curve!” 

And a still mid-in-substituting Naruto had to guard against the incoming stab with his kunai, which shattered upon contact with Tanjiro’s blade but where at least able to redirect the trajectory of the attack so that he would not get stabbed. Taking advantage of how he was not run clean through, Naruto quickly grabbed hold on Tanjiro’s arm and locked his body against it, rendering the blade no longer an active threat.

“Can’t use those fancy Jutsus without you’re little sword, eh?” Naruto mocked, smirking at Tanjiro.

“No idea what a Jutsu is supposed to be, “Tanjiro replied, shifting his head as far back as he could. “But I’m far from helpless without my blade!”

Then Tanjiro head-butted Naruto, causing the hyperactive Shinobi to learn, for the first time in his young life, that there was indeed someone more hard headed than he was. The hit had been absorbed by his forehead protector, and boy was Naruto ever glad he was wearing it, because even with it, he could have sworn he had heard the metal crack when that boy had smashed his wide forehead against it. Like, his forehead was almost as big as Sakura’s!

…Not that he’d ever tell her that!

“Darn it!” Naruto squealed in pain and in shock. “What’s your head made out off?!”

“Guess it yourself!” Tanjiro shot back, as he pulled his head back for another hit, which instinctively caused Naruto to release his hold on him and jump back… Just the thing Tanjiro wanted.

The Slayer smiled, but so did the Shinobi… and in a moment Tanjiro understood why.

With a loud “Na~Ru~To!” call, Tanjiro was sent flying into the air by three well placed kicks from behind, by clones he had not noticed sneaking up behind him. For someone so loud, he could be very sneaky when he wanted to, Tanjiro noted, but he had bigger problems at hand. Another Naruto, the real one, was plunging down at him, kick first, to send him rocketing right back down. “Uzumaki Ba-!”

“Water Wheel!”

Tanjiro spun in place, stopping the would-be attack and cutting the attacker. For the first time in their fight, one of them had drawn blood, and as a wounded Naruto fell down onto the dirt road, the rest of his clones vanished in multiple clouds of smoke. Naruto’s concentration had been broken, and as such his Jutsu had been dispelled, which was just the miracle Tanjiro had been hoping for.

Tanjiro landed close by, sword still in hand, with his other moving to the box that Nezuko slept in in hopes he hadn’t bothered her with so much reckless movement.

Tanjiro then turned to Naruto.

“I’ll make this painless if you just tell me if you have other humans here,” Tanjiro told him, as the blond clenched the open wound on his leg. Had he been even a little slower at reacting, the Slayer would have cut his entire leg off! “Please answer me. Also, why do you want Nezuko? Was it Muzan who ordered it?”

“…I didn’t train all this time, just to lose to some child kidnapper like you,” Naruto growled, and Tanjiro felt a chill at the sound of his voice. It clearly did not sound human anymore, but like a true beast. Before he could even react, though, the boy began to become enveloped by a reddish aura, his form becoming more animalistic, not unlike a pissed off Nezuko. Tanjiro couldn’t help but be outright shocked.

‘How many Blood Demon Arts does this guy have?’ Tanjiro thought, clenching his teeth and getting ready to attack, realizing talking was no longer a safe action. “Piercing Ra-!”

Naruto smashed his fist against Tanjiro’s stomach, moving faster than he could react in the blink of an eye, and knocking the wind out of the Slayer before sending him flying away from the battlefield. Tanjiro crashed against an abandoned house, breaking through it and landing on the other side, his lips bleeding from the impact.

‘So fast! I could barely-’

And without a moment to catch his breath or his thoughts, Naruto appeared in front of him again, charging so quickly that Tanjiro could only guard himself with the blade, as Naruto slashed at him with his claws, again, and again. Tanjiro could only step back and block each strike with his sword, being given no time to properly counter with a breath technique, lest he give Naruto an opening to behead him in turn.

‘I can’t cut him like this!’ Tanjiro thought, ‘Whatever that cloak thing is, it’s guarding him fully. I can’t cut it unless I use the techniques!’

‘Why can’t I break that sword?!’ a furious Naruto asked himself, ‘It’s so damn strong! I shouldn’t go beyond one tail, I can’t control it properly, so I have to beat him like this! I can’t afford to lose here!’

Then Naruto’s Chakra grew, and a huge claw-like hand reached out from his Chakra enveloped body. Tanjiro could only gawk as the giant energy hand enveloped him and threw him through the area, crashing against several more wooden houses and breaking them all into pieces. Naruto aimed to smash him into the ground and end the fight there, before he began to lose control, but his Chakra claw got torn up.

The Slayer emerged, landing on his feet, his body battered and bruised, but still standing. His uniform, somewhat torn but the resistant material mostly held up. His sword, however, seemed to be glowing. As if it had been lit on fire. The swordsman turned towards the ninja, glare ever present. 

“Dance of the Fire God.”

A beastly Naruto just looked on, realizing that he needed to end this now. He allowed his chakra to focus itself onto his right palm, the familiar spiraling sphere of energy taking form.

“…Rasengan.”

In a flash both warriors charged at one another, so strongly that the dirt beneath their feet broke apart thanks to the sudden momentum that they both generated. Breath Technique ready to clash against Jutsu…

…but instead of the massive clash both had expected, Tanjiro ended up slashing the rubble, landing flat on his face as his opponent had vanished before they had hit each other. The swordsman was in shock, quickly turning to try and see where his sneaky opponent had vanished to. He didn’t see Naruto, anywhere. Instead, he saw someone else.

Nezuko.

His little sister had woken up, gotten out of her box, and was standing behind him, her eyes flared up and glaring to the side. Tanjiro followed her line of sight, and to his surprise, following a trail of property damage, where the legs of one Naruto Uzumaki could be seen buried within the rubble.

“…What in the world hit me,” a pained Naruto cried out, as he had realized to late that a second opponent had charged against him, hitting him so hard that even the Nine Tailed Fox’s Chakra could do little to protect him. Whatever had kicked him, had kicked him hard, and he was sure as hell he didn’t want to get kicked again. ‘That felt like getting hit by Granny Tsunade, what gives?’

He stood back up, his head still aching and his vision a bit blurry, but he was healing quickly all the same. It was here he realized that he indeed now had two opponents. The swordsman, and a… bamboo eating girl?

“What the-?” he began, but in an instant, she vanished from his eyes, reappearing inches from his face, claws out ready to slice his face into pieces. Naruto’s eyes widened as he began to inject his body with the Chakra, moving his hands to form the familiar hand sign for his clones, hoping that maybe multiple nine-tailed Chakra infused clones would do the trick, but before he could finish, she got to him.

But not with her insanely long nails.

Or her hard as stone feet.

Instead, she simply placed her open palm onto his face, slowly, pink eyes meeting blue, and after a moment, she seemed to smile, somehow, even with the bamboo still stuck onto her face, as she caressed the bewildered blonde’s face with such tenderness Naruto couldn’t help but blush and shriek at the same time.

Tanjiro’s jaw dropped, and he had so many questions, but he knew that Nezuko’s stance was clear; and what it really meant.

After all, she would always protect humans…

-0-

“I beg for your forgiveness on my rash actions!” Tanjiro apologized to the still shell-shocked ninja as the young slayer bowed before him, head as low as he could position it, a complete and total shift of how he had been about to behead him just moments earlier. A ninja must always see through deception Naruto remembered Kakashi continuously warning Team 7, but he had never had an opponent sound so utterly sincere at apologizing to him before. And as Tanjiro continued to bow before the bewildered boy, the girl-in-the-box that had smacked the hell out of him and then caressed him like a hurt puppy was now “busy” flat on the ground skipping a stone from on leg to another, like a bored child waiting for her parents to stop talking to a friend and take her home.

“What the heck is wrong with you people!?” Naruto screamed at the sibling duo.

“I’m apologizing for fighting against you!” Tanjiro replied, likewise screaming just as loud as Naruto. “I mistook you for a demon! And to be fair, you seemed like you wanted to kidnap Nezuko, but I don’t think that’s it at all. Nezuko doesn’t make mistakes regarding this, if she’s protective of you, then that means you are not my enemy.”

“…She kicked me through three houses!” Naruto countered, still irritated at the fact that he didn’t even see her attack him until it was too late. Where had she been hiding anyways? Did she summon herself or something? He never saw her until he saw the print of her foot on his face.

“…Oh, that,” Tanjiro softly replied, his eyes shifting to the side, avoiding the mad blonde’s glare. “…She probably mistook you during all the chaos. Hey, she’s only hu… I mean, you know,” Tanjiro seemed to get himself tongue twisted for a moment, but he shook it off. “Once she realized you weren’t a demon, she quickly defended you, and that what counts. Plus, she’s sorry for kicking you. Isn’t that right Nezuko?”

The playful girl stopped flicking the stone, turning her head to face her brother, then turning it further to face Naruto, who’s complexion turned completely pale when he saw that she was effectively turning her head in an almost one-hundred and eighty degree angle. She didn’t say anything, though, she just blinked and turned back to playing.

“See…” Tanjiro added. “She says she’s sorry.”

“Sorry?!” Naruto blurted out, somehow having gotten about twenty feet away from the siblings in the time it took Tanjiro to address Nezuko and then him. “You wanted to kill me because I’m some kind of demon, yet your girlfriend looks like some kind of creepy, deformed puppet!”

Creepy. Deformed. Puppet…?

“…Take that back,” Tanjiro warned, softly, as the shadow of the night covered his eyes from view.

“Hey, no offense man, you like what you like, but it just makes you a bit of a jerk to attack me when she fits that description a lot more, ya know?” Naruto “alleviated” the situation, as he moved his hands in front of him defensively. He had seen some pretty creepy people in the past, like Gaara of the Sand or Orochimaru, and that girl gave off a vibe very similar to them.

“I’ll have you know that Nezuko was the pride of our village!” the elder brother defended his pride, pointing at her as if he were presenting a work of art. “Every single male of our generation would have been willing to give up their left arm if it meant a chance to date, and if they were lucky, marry this beauty! The prettiest girl in the entire world, Nezuko Kamado!”

Said pretties girl in the world seemed to be drooling while looking at a chirping cricket.

‘Must be a very small village,’ Naruto mused, as he was now wishing he had taken his Master’s advice and just gotten some rest.

“…Sure, whatever you say, more power to ya,” Naruto replied, as he shifted his attention from the weird as hell girl to the clearly bothered swordsman. “So your girlfriend there is not Yahiko’s sister then?”

“She’s my sister!” Tanjiro protectively declared, as he pointed to himself with his thumb. “Our only brothers are Takeo, Shigeru and Rokuta… and I don’t believe you would have met them.”

“Ah… So she’s probably not the girl I’m trying to save, bummer…” a disappointed Naruto voiced, his head now hanging low. This was turning out to be such a mess of a night that he didn’t even know how to correct anything. ‘Speaking of, once I lost my clones I probably left Yahiko alone. Poor kid, must be worried sick, I better get moving.’

“Save?” Tanjiro repeated, as his brow tensed as he tried to think rationally. Trying his best to ignore the fact that this blonde loudmouth had not apologized for insulting his precious Nezuko, he decided he should get to work. “Can I ask you something? Just who are you? If you’re not a demon, I don’t imagine you to be a Demon Slayer…”

“Demon Slayer, what’s that?”

“Uh…” Tanjiro felt a bit surprised at how earnestly confused the other boy was. From the scent he gave off, he wasn’t lying, he had no idea who he was or what he did. “…A Demon Slayer is those who are trained in the art of the Breath Techniques, members of the Demon Slayer Corps who hunt down any and all demons that prey on humans. My name’s Tanjiro Kamado, ranked as a Mizunoto, and together with Nezuko, we are assigned to different missions where demons are believed to be pestering.”

“So…” Naruto said, “You are like Samurai who kill… demons?”

“…In a way, I guess.”

“Cool!” Naruto exclaimed, as he jumped back to be within arms-reach of Tanjiro, who instinctively took a step back due to the suddenness. “And I’m Naruto Uzumaki. I’m a Shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village, ranked as a Genin because some bastard attacked us during our last Chunin Exams, which I was this close to passing by the way!” Naruto told Tanjiro as he left very little space between his thumb and index finger, as a show of just how close he was to be given a promotion. “Not that it matters, as you are looking at the next Hokage! A ninja legend, so if you’d like me to autograph your sword or her bamboo, just let me know!”

“…No thanks…” said Tanjiro.

Nezuko said nothing.

“Your loss!” a cheeky Naruto replied.

“Right…” Tanjiro tried his best to be as polite as possible, which was becoming very hard at the moment. But he still felt unease about the whole situation, and there where many questions he wanted to ask, most of all what was a ninja of all things doing here, but one question took precedence. “If I may ask you, Naruto, right?”

“Yep!” the ninja replied, now all the sudden all jolly and happy, much to Tanjiro’s confusion.

“Why are you looking for someone’s sister here?”

“Ah, that!” Naruto said, as he remembered he should really be shifting his focus back to that. “I just ran into a little kid who almost blew my head off… which has happened way too many times tonight for my liking, but that aside, he told me some kidnapper had taken his elder sister. He told me she was about my age, and had black hair, and not much else. I kinda forgot to ask for more details, so I have no idea what her name even is…” a sheepish Naruto added, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

“But why here?” Tanjiro asked, trying to make sense of it all. “I mean, this place was evacuated weeks ago, due to the demon sightings. Why would you think to look here?”

“Ah, that explains why this place is so empty!” Naruto said. “And where else would I look, the kid is right here, and his sister got taken away recently.”

“That… wait, that can’t be true,” Tanjiro muttered, his eyes widening.

“Hey! I’m not lying!”

“No, you’re not,” Tanjiro responded. “I can tell that much, but this would help explain why your scent was so confusing to me. You smelled like a demon, yet you also smell human.”

‘Smell?’ Naruto’s thoughts said. ‘This guy another Kiba, is he?’

“…But there’s no way some kid could survive in this village by himself with a demon lurking about,” Tanjiro noted, as his brow furrowed and he came up with the most likely scenario before them. “…It knew. It knew we were coming, and it lured you to attack me, probably hoping we’d kill each other or weaken ourselves sufficiently. That would explain your scent, it’s not yours, it’s his!”

“Wait, what are you-?”

“That kid you met; that was no kid,” Tanjiro replied. “That was the demon.”

-0-

“Wait!” Naruto shouted out, as he ran though the remaining rooftops on his way to where Yahiko was, with Tanjiro running by his side, their speed roughly equal to one another. “You’re not just going to behead some little kid, are you?!”

“It’s not a kid, it’s a demon,” Tanjiro replied, “But don’t worry, I’ll make sure this time, I won’t just blindly attack… But, you’ll see. You don’t sound that convinced at the existence of demons.”

“I’ve had close encounters with a few before,” Naruto replied, “But I’m not entirely sure if my idea of a demon is the same as yours. Because if that kid has something inside of him that doesn’t make him the thing!”

“That’s not how these demons work,” Tanjiro responded. “Demons used to be human, and they gave up their humanity, the eat humans to get stronger, and all they cause is pain and tragedy… But, I know that not all of them are like that. I can think of three that don’t follow Muzan’s example.”

‘Muzan…?’ Naruto pondered, but he decided that now was not perhaps the best time to ask.

“…So if this Yahiko is like that, then I’ll help him, but given how it seems he sent you on a collision course with me, I highly doubt it,” Tanjiro added, hoping against reason that this kid would indeed turn out to be that fourth good demon instead of just another monster he would have to slay.

“So you’re saying there are good demons out there?” Naruto asked, his foxlike expression now back in full effect. “…Are they what then, vegetarians?”

“Ask for yourself,” Tanjiro replied, smirking, “You have her right next to you.”

Naruto blinked for a moment, before he realized that Nezuko was running through the rooftops right next to him, her running motion perfectly mimicking his, as if they were playing a game of “Ninja” like he did back when he was a kid those very few times he could sneak into the park and meet up with the likes of Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba.

Nezuko looked to the side at Naruto, her wide pink eyes scanning his features for something he didn’t understand. Then, she seemed to smirk, again, with that bamboo thing still stuck to her face… and she just blasted off, picking up speed and running past him.

“Hey!” Naruto exclaimed, as he got pissed off for no reason whatsoever and also picked up speed, hell-bent on not losing to her. Tanjiro tried to tell the two to stop goofing off, but his words where left to the winds as Naruto ran after Nezuko in the attempt to prove he was faster, but whenever he got close to her, she would pick up even more speed, and then he’d have to do the same.

So he put everything into it, focusing his chakra to his feet and ran as fast as his legs would carry him, and just as the food shop came into view, just barely, he managed to run past her, and land at their destination a mere second before her. The blonde clenched his fist and pumped it onto the air, roaring in celebration and his victory over the weird-demon-of-a-girl. “Oh yeah! You just can’t match the speed of the next Hokage, now can ya?! The Orange Flash, that’s what they’ll call me! Kinda sounds like a soda, but who cares! Totally showed ya, didn’t… I…?”

And she was happily clapping at him, with the fondest of smiles in her face, just like…

“…You let me win,” an utterly insulted Naruto realized, as the oblivious Nezuko kept clapping. “You really are a demon, you do not play with a man’s pride this way! I demand a rematch! Let’s race, back to where we were, loser buys the other ramen! Let’s g-!”

Nezuko had vanished from his sight, and when his eyes caught up to her, she was right next to him, throwing one of those killer kicks of hers, but this time aimed right behind him. Naruto instinctively drew out a kunai and turned to defend himself, but then he saw her target.

It was a man… No, that wasn’t quite right. It was in the general shape of a man, but it was deformed, far larger that humanly possible, one arm jacked to the extreme, the other lanky and almost snake like. No eyes, no nose, no ears; just teeth. Too many teeth. Or rather, fangs. It was drooling, just like she would, as it began to try and stand back up. Nezuko’s kick, Naruto noted, had broken the thing’s, well, everything. But in seconds it healed, it got back up like nothing had happened. And Naruto could only stare in disbelief at the sight of a healing ability that completely eclipsed his own. At a sight that could not be described as anything else but…

…as a true demon.

And Nezuko was growling, sounding less like the playful girl he had just been racing and more like a muzzled beast about to be unleashed. Her fingers became claws again, and her eyes morphed, not unlike those of the Hyuga Clan Naruto had the “privilege” of facing first hand a year or so back.

“You are so beautiful,” a dark voice echoed through the area, and both Naruto and Nezuko shifted their attention all-around, hearing the voice but not being able to pinpoint the source. It wasn’t coming from the big guy Nezuko had just kicked, as he was still standing there, as if nothing was going on. Just staring without any eyes.

“Who’s there?!” Naruto demanded.

“…And you proved useless, Shinobi,” the voice said, and both Naruto and Nezuko managed to see it’s source as a young boy stepped out of the shadows, almost as if materializing out of them. “I ask you to save my dear sister, and you cannot even manage that much. How utterly disappointing.”

“Yahiko,” Naruto growled, realizing that Tanjiro had been right all along. “I’m going to teach you a lesson for making a mockery of me, and no amount of flattery will save you buddy, so don’t call me beautiful!”

The demonic Yahiko choked.

“T-That wasn’t aimed at you-You know what, never mind!” the demon disguised as a little boy said, as he turned towards the big demon. “Tenshin, you have my permission to strike,” Yahiko told the monster, as he turned his dark red eyes to Nezuko, “The girl, I want her, restrain-.”

A shuriken suddenly struck his left eye, much to the demon’s annoyance.

“None of that!” Naruto reprimanded, but his body went cold the moment Yahiko simply pulled the shuriken out of his eyes socket, with his eye still stuck to it, with the expression one would have if someone had dirtied one’s glasses.

Yahiko glared at Naruto.

“Eww, dude, gross, put it back,” Naruto said with a shiver. Nezuko just looked on, before her eyes widened briefly and she turned towards the side, her expression brightening.

“…There you are, Slayer,” Yahiko growled, as his attention was shifted towards Tanjiro, who stood on the opposite roof to the group, sword drawn and his attention fixed on Yahiko. “The one responsible for my dilemma. How I’ve planned for this.”

“Guess that answers that,” Tanjiro muttered, as he took a deep breath and readied himself. “Nezuko, keep your guard up and be careful! Naruto,” he turned towards the ninja, “Don’t waste your time trying to hurt him, he can’t be killed by normal means. Demons only fall to sunlight, which is still a few hours away, or…” the Slayer spoke, as he raised his blade, allowing the moonlight to reflect itself across the holy metal. “…by cutting their heads off by a Nichirin Blade.”

“That blade will never reach me,” Yahiko mocked, as the stage was set for a battle between the Demons, a Slayer and a Shinobi…

…all the while another individual watched from a far, his attention fixed solely on the Demon Slayer that had earned his scorn. Sharp demonic eyes waited for their opportunity to strike, all while proudly showcasing the mark befit of the “Upper Moon Three”.


	2. Demon of the Moonless Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone, Zancrow Here!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this story! Just remember, if you want a little more, a few more chapters of this are posted on my main account over at FF!

“That blade will never reach me,” the boy turned demon told Tanjiro, with a mocking ton and devilish smile, his eyes nevertheless fully focused on the supposedly holy sword that the young Demon Slayer had unsheathed. For all his bravado in the face of the adversity, Naruto noted, the young-looking demon was completely on guard against Tanjiro, paying the equally competent Nezuko and himself no mind. This irked the Shinobi greatly, as not only had he been strung along like a fool (the nerve!), but he was now being ignored in favor of that hard-headed samurai. So his blade was longer, big deal!

That said, both he and the increasingly animalistic Nezuko were not being completely ignored. Oh no, the very big guy that had gotten up from one of Nezuko’s earth-shattering kicks like he had just tripped on a banana peel had his sights… well, his eye-less sights… well, his teeth were aimed their way. And he was drooling, a lot.

Naruto took out his kunai, prepared to deal with the big guy, Yahiko had called him Tenshin, right? But before Naruto even got the chance to think up an opening move, the unsymmetrically-shaped demon charged, but unlike what Naruto had assumed, not at him.

Tanjiro, without missing a beat, had charged the demon that referred to itself as Yahiko, his aim centered squarely against the beast’s short neck. ‘I see the thre-what?!’

A smirking Yahiko did nothing, as the gigantic Tenshin had bypassed Naruto and Nezuko entirely and had gotten between the demon and the Slayer, blocking Tanjiro’s sword strike with his gigantic arm, and taking aim at him with the other, lankier one.

‘Demon’s don’t usually cooperate unless ordered to by Muzan,’ Tanjiro thought, as he tried to readjust himself, despite the difficulty of getting caught off guard in midair. Matters were made worse when he noticed that his blade had gotten stuck midway into the demon’s large arm, making it even harder to dodge. ‘No choice, better brace myself. Luckily his other arm is not as…’

Then Tenshin’s arm shifted, the lanky one becoming gigantic and vice versa. It did allow Tanjiro to free his blade, but… ‘…This might hurt.’

A massive roar erupted from the toothed opponent, as his punch not only knocked the Demon Slayer away, but erupted the wooden housing both of them had been hovering above of. Yahiko had also bounced away from the area, and onto the street down below, his eyes never leaving the holy blade.

Another roar erupted at that moment, far more muffled but no less frightening, as the clearly pissed off Nezuko launched herself blindly at the larger demon who had just swatted her elder brother like a fly, digging her sharp claw-like nails into the beast, trying her best to rip the thing apart with just her bare hands, swords or kunai be damned.

Unlike her initial kick to the thing, it seemed that Tenshin was now a little bit more battle ready, as he began to shift its muscle mass to whatever zone Nezuko was aiming at, protecting its body from much harm, and when it managed to peel her off, increasing the size of one of his legs, before it slammed down and pulled all of its weight into the petite girl. The sound of her pained cry mixed with the sound of bones crunching as he did was enough to send a still somewhat dumbfounded Naruto directly to her defense.

Naruto moved fast, throwing several shuriken directly into the creature’s morphed leg, which did little more than stick there like Christmas ornaments on a tree. Yahiko was midway into a scoff at the poor display from the misplaced Shinobi in that fight, but both he and Tenshin were caught off guard when the throwing stars seemingly ignited. The explosion was not massive, but certainly enough to cause the larger demon to instinctively move back, away from the crushed demon girl, and right into Naruto’s next move.

“Let’s try this!” Naruto shouted out as he stabbed the demon right in the center of the throat, causing the thing to cough out some blood from its fang-infested jaws. Tenshin moved to try and catch the blonde, this time turning both his hands lanky, stretching them out against him, but Naruto just smirked. “Big but dumb, just how I like it! Falling for the same stuff twice is outright embarrassing.”

Yahiko finally saw through the attack, his eyes widening just ever so slightly. “…The knife has a paper on it, just like the…”

The kunai ignited, propelling itself right though Tenshin’s throat, and just like Naruto had planned it, decapitating the demon in the process. Its burning head fell to the dirt, rolling a bit before stopping several feet from its body, which was in the process of landing on the ground with a massive “thud”, likewise unmoving.

“And that’s…” Naruto began, landing a few feet from Yahiko, as the demon actually turned and faced him properly, his expressions showing little more than annoyance. “…how it’s done, ninja style! Who needs some fancy sword when you got all these goodies?! Ain’t that right, you demonic twerp? So, what’ll be, you surrender or you want to join your body over there for barbecue?”

“…Do you ever shut up?” Yahiko muttered, rubbing his temple softly, his eyes reddening with each word that left Naruto’s mouth. “I’m aware how insignificant an opponent you are, I really am, but damn it is it hard to ignore you.”

“What was that?!” Naruto barked at the demonic kid, pulling the sleeve of his jacket back and ready to knock the living daylight out of him, but he suddenly felt a very cold gust of wind hit every fiber of his being.

“Naruto! Behind you!” he heard Tanjiro scream, before Tenshin’s beheaded body enlarged both of his fists and outright crushed both him and the ground beneath him with a massive pounded strike. Yahiko, unfazed, merely turned his attention back to the recovered Slayer.

“Hmm, hmm!” Nezuko mumbled to her brother, both sibling standing several feet from the two demons, Tanjiro crouched down next to his recovering sister, who had managed to pick herself back up. She sounded worried, he noted, and he couldn’t blame her.

“Easy Nezuko, if he’s strong enough to fight us,” Tanjiro assured her, as he glared at the two demons before them. “Then he’s not going to get taken out by such an attack.”

“Are you so sure ab-” Yahiko began, but was interrupted by a rather obnoxious yell.

“Are you kidding me!” an increasingly angrier Naruto shouted, emerging unharmed from behind Tanjiro and Nezuko, managing to surprise even them, as they had expected him to be alive, no somehow right there with them. Tanjiro looked outright impressed, and Nezuko could be seen trying to smile from behind her bamboo-muzzle. “That thing doesn’t even have a head, and it totally took a swing at me! What do I need to do bring it down?”

“Heh, that’s pretty awesome Naruto,” Tanjiro proudly told the blonde, as he stood back up next to Naruto. “But, like I said, beheading them works, but only if it’s with this type of sword,” the Slayer said, shifting the stance of his sword just slightly to showcase it to the youth. “Otherwise, they’ll just heal.”

“For real, well that sucks,” a disappointed sounding Naruto whined, as he placed both his hands on the back of his head and closed his eyes, wanting nothing more to get back to facing opponents he could understand properly. Then again, unkillable guys made for excellent training partners, did they not? “Still, Imma pay him back for trying to crush me, good thing you had the perfect object for me to substitute with!”

“Perfect object?” Tanjiro asked, confused.

“Yep!” Naruto replied, smiling. “That weird box you were carrying! Pretty light if I do say so myself!”

Weird. Box…?

Tanjiro looked at the crater next to Tenshin.

His eyes widen like dinner plates. There it was, the majestic carrier box that his Master Sakonji Urokodaki had built specifically for Nezuko’s use, absolutely destroyed. The handcrafted last gift from the man that had taught him how to wield a blade, made from the very rare Mist Cloud Fir material perfect to carry Nezuko without having her affected by the sunlight, gone. Broken into pieces in the floor where the ninja had been standing.

Both demons glared at the trio.

Tanjiro uncharacteristically glared at Naruto.

“…What?”

“What do you mean what?!” Tanjiro exclaimed as her grabbed Naruto by the collar of his jacket and pulled and pushed him so hard Naruto’s vision got a bit blurry. “Do you have any idea how important that box was to us?! Our Master made it! And it’s the only thing I have to keep Nezuko safe from the sunlight!”

“Oh come on! It’s just a box!” Naruto argued back. “I’ll buy you a new one! How much ryo does it cost anyways?!”

“What the heck is ryo?!”

“What do you mean what-?!”

Had Nezuko not tackled both arguing boys out of the way, they would had probably been too preoccupied to properly counter the massive attack made by a still-headless Tenshin, who once again created a massive crater in the spot they had just been standing at. The three rolled across the dirt for a bit before stopping and getting back into fighting stances, their attention now focused on the demons once more.

“Never mind, we’ll work something out. Just stay out of our way from now on Shinobi,” Tanjiro said.

“Oh yeah! Why don’t you sit back and watch me do this right! And I’ll show you I won’t need no fancy sword, Samurai!” Naruto barked back.

“I’m a Slayer!”

“Same thing!”

Nezuko grabbed both boys by the ear, pulling them hard enough to cause the two to squirm and stop their arguing, as she offered them a muffled “Hmphm mmm hpmh mph mmp!” to likely boost their morale… or something. She even lifted her fist into the air and stood before both boys triumphantly, as both Naruto and Tanjiro looked on.

“Your sister has a few screw loose…”

“Don’t make me cut you,” Tanjiro retorted, forcing himself to ignore the dimwit and focus on the fight at hand. Now without his box, he couldn’t risk dragging out the fight any longer, as he needed to have Nezuko safe by sunrise. So, without another word, the Slayer launched himself at Tenshin, the familiar droplets of water emerging as he sliced and sliced at the demon, who instinctively turned the area that Tanjiro was aiming at bigger, so that the blade could not cut cleanly through, just like he had done with Nezuko. “That again, huh?”

Following his earlier strategy, Tenshin took the opportunity before him and attempted to crush Tanjiro like he had done with Nezuko, but Tanjiro simply smirked and vanished from his line of sight(?). In his place, appeared Nezuko, who proceeded to kick Tenshin right on the abdomen, sending the demon flying as he had all his muscle mass on his hands.

As he did, both sibling went on the chase, Tanjiro preparing his blade. He then turned towards his sister. “Hold him down,” he told her. “He doesn’t have his head attached, so I’ll aim for that instead, there has to be some neck still left there.”

His sister nodded, as she lunged at the still recovering brute.

Tanjiro quickly reached the head, taking quick aim at what was left of the throat after Naruto’s explosive tag had blown it off, but his blade was caught by it. Or rather, by its teeth!

Tenshin’s head had flipped, the neck veins emerging from the injury and serving as spider-like legs as it took aim at Tanjiro. It was a surprising tactic, Tanjiro noted, forcing the young Slayer to use his leg to kick the now active head away from his sword.

Said head rolled a bit before it began to “crawl” away towards his main body, who was busy fighting off a relentless Nezuko. Tanjiro knew that he probably had the speed necessary to hit the head before it reached its destination, but he figure one whole opponent was easier to take down than two near-neck-less ones.

Nezuko seemed to notice his aim, as without needing a word, she jumped back and allowed Tenshin to become whole again, landing right next to her brother, her claws aimed much in the same way as his sword.

Tenshin roared, and the three clashed.

“…So, you wanna fight, or…?” Naruto asked, appearing right next to Yahiko, who was looking strictly at the battle before them.

He gave Naruto no answer.

Naruto felt his blood boil. He took out his kunai, and against such a small demon, he didn’t need any explosive tags. One chakra-infused slash and Yahiko was beheaded.

To Naruto’s utter disappointment, Yahiko merely caught his falling head with his right hand, completely unfazed but now at least looking at the Shinobi. “…Can you not see I have no business with you?”

“You made it your business when you tried to shoot my face off!” Naruto reprimanded, and he got ready for a fight… but it never came. Yahiko merely plucked his head back onto his body, and kept on focusing on Tanjiro and Nezuko’s fight. Naruto had never felt so insulted in his life.

“Rasengan!”

‘Rasen-what?’ Yahiko caught himself asking, before he felt a massive something strike him on the side, sending the unsuspecting demon flying across the battlefield, right between the clashing foes he had been watching, and crash landing against some rubble.

“Was that Naruto?!” Tanjiro asked, still in mid-air, shocked at just how fast he had seen Yahiko fly by.

“Hmm…” Nezuko noted, her eyes shifting from the battlefield towards the Shinobi, who had now split into two in order to properly launch his trademark attack.

The biggest reaction, however, came from Tenshin. It wasn’t shock or anger, or anything resembling emotion, but rather, the thing fell onto his knees, his jaw opening to an insane degree as he let out a massive cry of pain, so strong that the trio before it took a step back out of instinct alone. 

‘Wait…?’ Tanjiro noted. ‘Was it hurt by…?’

Yahiko, pushing away the rubble around him, tried to stand right back up, fully intent on ending the annoying ninja once and for all, before he felt his body fail him and land right back onto the ground. The demon clenched his side, a massive unknown pain affecting the still unhealed area. “H-How…?” it growled, as a sense of pain not known to demons was traversing his very being. “What did that freak do?! Why does this hurt so damn much?! I’ll rip that ninja to pieces!! Tenshin!!!”

Tanjiro pounced at the overgrown demon, taking aim at its wide neck. “Fourth Style: Striking Tide!”

Tenshin caught the blade with its hand, losing several fingers in the process, but re-growing them regardless. It then began to morph again, but this time, its entire body went buff, growing a good two feet larger in the process (a rather impressive feat for a creature already way past eight feet) and turning his blue-ish skin blood red.

It then swung the sword that Tanjiro was holding onto around, tossing both it and Tanjiro to the side with impressive force, causing the Slayer to have to use one of his techniques, the Water Wheel, to try and stabilize himself and avoid being slammed across the pavement. The demon then sense an approaching, and after his latest attack, he could no longer be ignored.

“Hey ugly, eat this!” Naruto growled, turning his close into a windmill shuriken, and tossing it at the demon with all his non-tailed beast enhanced strength. Tenshin opened its maw and shattered the clone-turned-shuriken into pieces, the smoke erupting from its throat once the beast had finished. “…Am I glad I threw the clone.”

Then Tenshin vanished, and before Naruto could react, it slammed the blonde against the ground, causing Naruto to spit out blood by how powerful a force he had been hit by, leaving him no room to use his substitution technique again.

No sooner had Tanjiro landed on his feet, than had Tenshin slammed his feet right into his torso, his speed clearly increased with whatever transformation Yahiko had forced onto him, and held the slayer in place. Then, Tanjiro’s worst fears came to realize as he realized that Tenshin had Nezuko within his grasps, her neck broken by the beast, holding her by the tattered remains of her kimono. Her eyes were still wide, and Tanjiro couldn’t tell if she was still conscious or not. How had he even hit her, Tanjiro never saw it.

Then Tenshin’s jaws opened completely, almost down to its chest, and Tanjiro realized its intentions. It was going to swallow Nezuko whole!

“No!” Tanjiro screamed out, but the pressure from the demon prevented him from moving an inch. “Nezuko! Wake up Nezuko! You need to move! To run! Nezuko! Run!”

Tenshin moved to eat her, and to Tanjiro’s horror, he swallowed her whole…

…her whole kimono that is.

To the demon’s surprise upon eating nothing but fabric, Nezuko had woken up and reduced her body as much as she could, slipping right out of her outer clothing, an dashing like mad away from the hungry demon, following her brother’s instructions perfectly, as she would always. The small Nezuko, now covering herself with solely her oversized undergarments, dashed like crazy around the area, as Tenshin gave chase, just like she wanted it to. It meant that her brother could recuperate.

Tanjiro began to stabilize his breathing, focusing on everything he learned from the teachings of Shinobu Kocho and the other girls there, in order to recuperate himself and end this once and for all. ‘I’m sorry Nezuko, it’s my own fault, and I’m not usually like this. Our enemies are the demons, if I need to work together with Naruto to bring them down, I can’t let my pride get in the way of that. I almost lost you, and now you are forced to run around for your life like that! I can’t let this go on!’ he decided, then shouted, “Naruto! I’ll end this once and for all! Please, protect my little sister!”

A still battered Naruto could barely hear the boy, but he understood from the tone of his shout that he needed help. That she needed help. So he opened his eyes…

…and found himself floating in a very familiar water.

“I don’t have the time now, you stupid fox,” he told the caged monster, not bothering to even sit back up. He didn’t have to. He could outright feel that dark gaze burrowing down on him, eager to be let out and continue in its path of destruction. A demon much like the ones he was currently facing, just a little nicer… maybe. He did prefer having the nine-tails inside than any of these two, that was for sure, but not by much.

“Just what is that pathetic display of yours…?” the demon asked the boy and Naruto just shrugged. “So much pointless training, and once again, you are bloodied on the ground, your allies winning the fights you never could. How many risked their lives for you to bring the Uchiha back, and yet, in the end, you failed?”

“You know something you smelly fox?” Naruto said, this time sitting up because he hated feeling so damn wet. “I’m way past feeling bad for myself. I know how hard they fought. Chouji, Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Bushy Brows. Heck, even Akamaru fought like a champ! So don’t start with these dumb mind games with me. I’m not letting you out, and I will bring Sasuke back, just you watch. And, I’m going to get right back up, and protect that Slayer and his sister! Because that’s my… well, you know the rest!”

Then he was back in reality, the shout from Tanjiro echoing in his ears. A proper team-up was it? Fine by him!

“Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Yahiko and Tanjiro could only look in shock when Naruto multiplied himself by the hundreds. He overcrowded the area completely, so much orange that almost no other color could be spotted.

“What even is he?!” a still aching Yahiko growled.

“When we fought earlier he turned into about fifty or so replicas, so I assumed that was his limit,” Tanjiro noted, utterly amazed. “But this… this could well be over a thousand! That’s almost insulting really, to think you held back against me like that, but am I glad you’re helping me out now. Not bad Naruto!”

“Just wait till you see what else I got up my sleeve,” Naruto beamed, as he and his clones quickly got in the way of Tenshin and the still small Nezuko, with one of him grabbing the little girl and running away with her as many of the clones began to beat up on the enraged demon. His power was great, however, as it moved down the clones by the dozen. Creating massive clouds of smoke as he tore through the many Narutos, reaching the one holding Nezuko within seconds, but unfortunately for him, there were still many other clones to spare. He reached one, said clone tossed Nezuko towards another clone, effectively playing a game of hot potato with the ever angrier demon.

As Yahiko looked on, glaring at the back of the many ninjas before him. Then, his vision was obscured by a familiar foe appearing before him. The injured Tanjiro clenched his sword, glaring at the demonic Yahiko without much of a word.

“And here you are, just like the others, looking down at us like it’s your right to exterminate us,” Yahiko told the Slayer, as Tanjiro merely shrugged.

“You are the ones trying to eat people, so it kinda goes against saying that you should be stopped,” Tanjiro replied, taking aim with his blade at the creature’s neck. But, as he moved to strike, he felt his body freeze.

“…Did you really think I was defenseless?”

Tanjiro couldn’t even speak, as his entire body stopped responding, effectively paralyzed. ‘Oh, you’ve got to be…’

“My Blood Demon Art is one-of-a-kind, you see,” Yahiko explained, slowly getting up, his mouth beginning to water at the sight of a helpless Tanjiro. “I can control others to an extent, an ability great for capturing prey, but not one as powerful as to be able to please our Master. So I made a plan, to capture several lower ranking demons and merge them into one powerful beast. My creation? Little Tenshin over there. Magnificent is he not. I use my powers, and simply suggest an action for him to take, and he follows flawlessly. But, thanks to you, my plans were squashed! My great creation, a sure-fire candidate for our Master’s Lower Moon ranks, now no longer to take such a role because of you! But maybe, if I kill you, he’ll reconsider. So… I’ll allow you to talk, so that I can hear you scream.”

Then the Slayer felt himself able to move his jaw. He proceeded to frown at the gloating demon. “…And you say I never shut up.”

Then, in a “poof” of smoke, Tanjiro became another Naruto.

“What the hell!?” Yahiko cried out, as he took a step back, but then felt his entire body grow cold. A splash of water hit the floor, and the demon began to see his world flip upside down, his eyes widening at the realization of what had just occurred. ‘How…?’

“Took you long enough, Tanjiro!” a bemused Naruto told him, grinning from ear to ear.

“I was just impressed by your interpretation of me,” Tanjiro replied, smiling right back. “Even if you really don’t talk like me at all.”

“I’ve known you for what, thirty minutes!”

“Yeah, I guess you have a point, but let’s see if my theory is correct,” Tanjiro spoke up, as he turned to the rushing clones currently playing keep-Nezuko-away-from-the-scary-guy. As soon as Yahiko was brought down, the demon itself proceeded to fall. No scream, no last attempt at an attack. It fell. The Narutos and the little Nezuko all paused, blinking in surprise, until Tenshin began to decompose before their eyes.

“Damn it!” Yahiko cried out, as his body began to decay as well. Tanjiro looked on, as the Naruto clone that had passed off as him felt his body shiver at the sight of a talking head currently in the process of breaking apart. “He told me my Tenshin was strong enough to defeat you! To reestablish the Lower Moons you humiliated so! He didn’t say you were this strong! Nor that there were others outside the ranks of Demon Slayer with such power!”

“Who’s he?” Tanjiro asked, then remembered something even more important. “Oh wait, right!” Tanjiro quickly tossed the syringe into the blood pool from the demon, soaking up some so that he could send it to Miss Tamayo for testing. It was the only lead he had to be able to save Nezuko, so he couldn’t let that opportunity pass. The carrier quickly appeared, and much to Naruto’s utter confusion, Tanjiro gave it the blood and it went on its merry way.

Tanjiro then turned back to Yahiko, to get some more information out of the fallen demon, but realized too late that the demon was long gone. Not a speck left. Tanjiro looked down, sheathing his blade, and taking a deep breath.

“This means we won, right?!” Naruto hopefully asked, and as Tanjiro nodded to him, he began to bounce up out of pure joy. “Yippee!”

The many Naruto clones all vanished at once, hundreds returning to simply one, with Tanjiro now realizing the one that had been helping him was simply another clone, while the real one was currently holding up Nezuko.

“Hey, good work team!” Naruto praised with a smile. “And here’s your weird little sis, completely safe and…” Naruto went completely quiet as his eyes went wide and his face turned crimson red. Nezuko had grown back into her usual size, no longer the almost toddler-like version he had been tossing between his clones, but now a proper young girl his own age. She was also wearing very little, not that she seemed bothered in the slightest by her lack of proper clothing. She simply cocked her head to the side, nodded at her brother, then turned to him, nodding as well and patting Naruto on the head for a job well done.

Before Tanjiro could reach the two and quickly cover Nezuko, as he was aiming to do the second he realized the situation at hand, Naruto softly placed the girl down, took off his own jacket, and proceeded to cover the girl with it. Nezuko just looked on, confused, as Naruto simply turned to the side and began to walk away, still completely embarrassed by the whole thing.

Nezuko, puzzled, turned towards her approaching brother, who had no choice but to let it all go.

“Nothing to worry about Nezuko,” he told her. “Seems he is a gentleman despite, well, everything indicating otherwise. That aside, we really need to get you some new clothing.”

At this Nezuko looked down, at her current state, then back at her brother, then at Naruto’s retreading form, then back down.

Then she lightly blushed, still looking down, like hanging her head down in shame.

“Wait!” Tanjiro exclaimed, realizing his sister was showing some very human emotion for what seemed like the longest time. “You’re actually embarrassed? That’s great!”

She frowned at him.

“I-I mean, in the sense of how you’re getting better. More human, I mean,” Tanjiro clarified. “This is great, you are getting flustered just like you did back at the village. So cute!”

Big brother proceeded to hug and lift his embarrassed younger sister is a display of affection that made her even more embarrassed, but with a warmth she would be dead before she would motion at him to stop.

Then Naruto returned, a “present” at hand.

“There, fixed it,” he announced, and both sibling could only look utterly exasperated.

“Is that supposed to be…?” Tanjiro asked.

“Hmm…?” Nezuko “asked”.

“Your box! I fixed it!” Naruto explained, as he pointed to the “box” he had brought to them. It was, in his defense, made with parts of the one that had gotten broken, but it had a bunch of gaps throughout, kunai stuck to it to serve as nails, and the size was twice as small as it had been. Naruto stood there, presenting the box like if it were the greatest thing ever instead of the death machine it resembled.

“…I don’t think Nezuko could even shrink herself that much,” Tanjiro noted.

“Hm-hm,” Nezuko agreed.

“And that would never protect her from the sunlight, at all,” Tanjiro noted.

“Hmm,” Nezuko agreed.

“And those knives would cut her into ribbons each time she even tried to move…” Tanjiro noted.

“Hnmp!” Nezuko agreed.

Naruto felt himself shrink with every accusation and follow-up “agreement”.

“Hey! It’s exactly like how it was when I used it!” Naruto argued.

“Are you blind?! It looks nothing like the sort!” Tanjiro countered…

…Then blood filled the dirt road…

Neither of them saw it coming. One moment they had been arguing about the box, the next, their bodies fell onto the pavement, blood gushing from the orifices in their faces, their torsos having been cut wide open, organs beginning to spill out. Tanjiro fell first, his body already bruised and not being able to keep his breathing in check without his lungs. Naruto fell moments after, the demon fox chakra attempting to save him, but even with its regeneration, it could not fix wounds to that degree. Nezuko just stood there, one moment the happiest she could remember herself being in a long time, the next, covered in the blood of her brother and their new friend, her eyes wide and… and… her lips craving the taste of the blood rushing down their bodies currently inches from her covered lips.

She bit down hard, her vision blurry, and…

…Nothing had happened. Nezuko looked at the two, still standing, still arguing, no more bloody that they had been moments prior. The girl looked on, her body in cold sweat all the sudden, as she couldn’t realize the meaning behind what she had just seen. The bloodlust she had felt… had that been her?

Or…?

She quickly moved to Tanjiro, grasping onto her brothers arm, pressing her body against him. Tanjiro quickly stopped his argument with Naruto. “Nezuko? Are you okay? Is something wrong?” he asked, and was shocked at seeing her like this. She looked outright frightened. Nezuko tried to inform him what she had seen, to say something, but damn her condition. Why couldn’t she talk? Why couldn’t she actually say something to her brother for once? She begged anyone, any god or deity, to allow her speech for even a second, to just tell him something.

But all she managed was to hold onto him, as sleep overtook her, and she drifted into an undesired slumber thanks to all the energy she had used up.

Tanjiro quickly held onto her, keeping her from falling as he pressed her light frame against his.

Naruto looked on, concerned with the girl before him. ‘Is she injured? She looked like she could heal like me, didn’t she? Maybe it has a limit like I do? But damn, her eyes, she looked so sad there for a moment… Wonder why?’

“Naruto…” Tanjiro spoke up, his tone softer as to not disturb the sleeping Nezuko. “I’m grateful for the assistance. You helped keep Nezuko safe, and for that, I will forever owe you a debt I can never hope to repay. She means the world to me, if you can’t tell. But, I need to be going. Nezuko needs rest, and I must find a suitable way to transport her before sunrise. Don’t worry about the box, I’ll manage. You better report back to whoever your higher ups are, as do I.”

“Huh? Uh, hey, wait!” Naruto shouted out, then clenched his mouth when he remembered that Nezuko was sleeping. “So, hey, Tanjiro,” Naruto whispered. “I’m not about to just let you tend to her by yourself. I ruined your thing, so let me help. I may, occasionally, do some dumb stuff, but I’m good at fixing stuff too. Just tell me what you need…”

“That’s…”

“Also,” Naruto continued, pouting to Nezuko. “She alright? She looked scared. She’s not badly injured, is she?”

“Ah, oh no, don’t worry,” Tanjiro replied. “She needs a lot of sleep, because of her… powers. It’s nothing unusual for her. I was worried too, at first, but it’s how she manages. And I don’t think she was frightened, rather… she…” Then it hit him, a smell he had not picked up on. Or rather, one that had been there from the start, that he was certain belonged to the demons in the area, but they had been beaten, right? Why was it still there?

Was that what Nezuko had tried to say?

As Tanjiro realized this, several miles from the trio, a lone figure rested his body on a roof, crouching down as his sight, despite how far away he was, could clearly pick up on the three would-be threats.

‘It would be so easy,’ the Upper Moon Three, the white devil Akaza, thought, his fist clenching in anticipation for the slaughter and insuring feast. ‘I could dismember them all so quickly, and feed the girl their remains, to see if she reacts like what He believes she would.’

Akaza took a deep breath, even if demons had no need for it. Some habits are harder to kill than others, he supposed.

‘But he’s there, and dawn is almost upon us,’ Akaza noted, deciding to turn around. ‘I’ll save killing you for later, Tanjiro… And for your sake, I hope you don’t plan on sticking around, Naruto.’

Then he was gone, as if he had never been there at all.

Tanjiro realized the smell had completely vanished, his eyes widening, wondering what had even happened. Also, wondering why it seemed so familiar. ‘It’s like I’ve confronted it before…’

“…“rather she” what?” Naruto asked, taking Tanjiro out of his thoughts. “Did you fall asleep as well? Is that a normal things for you guys?”

“Uh, I, well, no, you see,” Tanjiro tried, but he didn’t know how to fully explain something he didn’t fully understand. But then, he felt it again, this time a very unfamiliar scent, reeking of… booze? “There’s someone else-!”

“Huh?”

“Whoa, easy there champ,” Jiraiya appeared right next to Naruto and Tanjiro, effortlessly holding the Slayer’s arm in a way that rendered him completely immobile, surprisingly without hurting the injured boy any further or causing him to drop Nezuko. “I’m not the enemy. That guy already left. You two siblings are quite something, managing not only to fight like that, but to somehow force Naruto here to use his brains for once.”

“Huh? Who?”

“Where have you been Pervy Sage?!”

“Doing research, like I told you,” the Toad Sannin replied, letting go of Tanjiro and standing proudly in front of the boys. “Seemed like some creepy stuff was going down here, but when I found the culprit, you three were already engaging. Would have been disrespectful for me to interrupt that now, would it? …Stop scowling Naruto, you know I’m right,” he told the boy. “Besides, I felt that if I jumped in, that other fellow would have as well, and I don’t think that would have been for the best.”

“…Other?” Naruto said.

“…Fellow?” Tanjiro concluded.

“…” Nezuko softly snored.

-0-

She had been dreaming about the boy from her past. About a much happier time, before tragedy struck them all without warning, again and again, completely unrelenting. In her dreams, no one had died. In her dreams, she didn’t need to struggle so much to simply return things to a resemblance of normality. In her dreams, she and her friends did not need to suffer so much in a war that they never wanted to be a part of.

In her dreams, Sakura Haruno was still happy.

“Sakura, dear, I’m afraid I must wake you,” Sakura heard someone whisper into her ear, and she jolted awake with a fright, her senses still half asleep.

“W-What’s going on?!” she screamed, siting right up with her fists extended, fully expecting an attack to come, for some reason. Not that she could be too careful these days. The pink haired kunoichi felt that she had only gone to sleep maybe two to three hours ago, which would explain why it looked totally dark outside. Regardless, she soon caught sight of her “invader”, and managed to relax a bit. “Oh, my apologies Lady Katsuyu.”

“Do not worry,” the miniature clone of the Fifth Hokage personal summon replied, her tone totally calm and soft, as if she had not just freaked the kunoichi out. “I did not mean to wake you up from your much needed rest my dear, but I’m afraid that Mistress Tsunade requires your assistance at the hospital.”

“Huh!? At this hour?” Sakura whined, but mentally slapped herself and shook her head. She had requested this training after all, and medics could not schedule emergencies, so it didn’t matter that she had left her shift in the hospital just hours prior. If they needed her, then they needed her. “No, never mind, I understand. I’ll be right there.”

“Understood,” the little slug replied, but she did not vanish immediately. She paused for a bit, as if thinking what to say. “…You can take five minutes if you wish to wash your face, however, I’m sure the Mistress will understand.”

“My face?” Sakura muttered, then touched herself with her hand. “Ah! I’m a for real?!” the embarrassed girl got off bed and ran to the bathroom, clearly taken aback by just how much she drooled while she slept. Katsuyu simply gave out a soft chuckle at the child, before she vanished back into her realm, until the next time the Hokage needed her assistance.

Which, if what she had seen was anything to go by, it would be much sooner than expected.

After Katsuyu’s clone had vanished, Sakura got ready and raced to meet her Master and the current Hokage of the Leaf Village, the Legendary Sannin Tsunade. Being a trained ninja had its perks, Sakura noted, as she could get dressed a lot faster than she could before, and traveling from one spot to another was child’s play, when your legs could move boulders and you could use the walls themselves as roads.

A trip which would have taken Sakura twenty minutes when she was younger now took three, and soon enough Sakura found herself outside of Tsunade’s office. Not her main one, back in the Hokage’s building, but her formal one in the hospital. The pink haired girl knocked, and was quickly allowed inside, but surprisingly not by Tsunade herself.

“What took you Billboard Brow?” a yawning Ino Yamanaka asked her as she led Sakura inside, covering her mouth with her hand as she instructed her childhood friend to take a seat. “Ah, I don’t know what I was thinking following your example of all things. I’m never going to get enough beauty rest working nights like this.”

“I’m surprised Lady Katsuyu could even manage to wake your sorry ass up,” Sakura mocked back, as Ino tried to glare at her but ended up yawning again, deciding she was too tired for their little game.

“I wish,” Ino replied. “I never made it home. I got called back right on the street next to this one.”

“Huh? Why?” Sakura asked, realizing that Katsuyu never quite told her why she was needed. “What happened? What are we supposed to be doing?”

“Beats me!”

“Huh?”

“I wasn’t told,” Ino explained, and Sakura felt even more confused. “I was told to wait here, and that you had been called also, nothing more. Whatever it is, it’s probably big, or at least I hope it is, otherwise it should have waited for tomorrow.”

“Big is one way to describe it,” a young woman spoke up as she entered the office, with both Sakura and Ino being slightly embarrassed at the fact that they never noticed her approaching. There should be a limit to how much the lack of sleep can dull the senses of a Shinobi.

“Lady Shizune!” both girls called out to their superior, who offered the kunoichi a soft smile.

“I know it’s troublesome,” the Hokage’s personal aide said. “But, please, follow me for a moment. We’ve… never quite seen this before.”

Shizune led Sakura and Ino all the way down to the morgue, saying nothing as the girls’ minds raced regarding the meaning behind the former’s words. Sakura, specially, observed everything that was going on, trying her very best to keep her emotions in check. ‘Something unprecedented? How bad could it be? It… wouldn’t be Sasuke, right? We are heading to the morgue, oh please, not him… Or… Naruto, no, no way. He’s with Master Jiraiya, he’ll be kept safe… Damn it, you are no longer a child Sakura, keep calm. Focus so you can do your job properly.

Then Shizune stopped and pointed to what it was the girls needed to see…

…and their resolve was instantly shattered.

The morgue had an area outright sealed off, Ninjustu and all, in order to keep everyone away… or safe. Several Shinobi stood guard, at almost every angle. Her Master, deep in thought, stood in the middle of it all, her eyes hovering the “patient” laying before her. It was a man. No. That was not right. It had once been a man, Sakura imagined, but he had been broken so much, legs missing, fingers missing, the skin mutilated to an almost deadly degree. It looked like something long dead, Sakura knew that much, she had been training well these past few months. So she could quickly identify a corpse’s state from simple patterns. This was basically a mummified corpse… so why did it look so… juicy?

“What is that?!” Ino blurted out, before she caught herself and covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes still conveying the shook that she forbid her lips from.

“Lady Tsunade…?” Sakura asked softly, having absolutely no idea with what would her Master respond. Did she, the medical genius Tsunade, even knew what was laying before her?

“The man I’ve identified this person as being is someone I never personally met,” Tsunade explained, her back still to the girls, as if still guarding herself from that meat bag before her. “…And most of my Jounin and Chunin, who would have most likely known him in life, are currently out on missions. That leaves you two. Can you please examine this body thoroughly and tell me who do you think it is? I need to see if my hypothesis matches.”

Sakura could hear Ino gulp at the request, but the pink haired girl steadied herself. She didn’t come all this way to get squeamish now. So she took a step towards the body, and, sensing this, Ino followed suit, not to be outdone. But, even with a steely resolve, Sakura could not help but be unable to shake a nagging little voice in the back of her head regarding the man’s sorry state.

‘Why does he look…’ she wondered, a small shiver hitting her body as she began to examine the man. ‘Like he was outright half-eaten…’

It took the two over an hour to fully examine the corpse. Dental records were the first area they both agreed to check, but just as Tsunade before them, they were shocked to realize that the corpse had had his entire jaw ripped off. No teeth were left, nor was the tongue. Fingerprints wouldn’t work without any fingers, but, despite not much hair left, there was still some, so maybe they could start with that. At this, Sakura could only mutter to herself as to how such a decayed corpse could even have hair left, usually one of the first things to go?

The once silver-ish hair, now permanently dyed brown by the dirt and red by the blood, was the first key the two had to his identity, aside from the freebie given to them by their Master on the fact that it had indeed been a male. He, as Sakura and Ino were horrified to discover, also lacked any external genitalia, but an intact prostate gland at least made such a conclusion viable.

“…Lady Tsunade,” Sakura spoke up, after almost an hour of silence. Tsunade looked on, sitting to the side observing the girls work, her eyes looking up at her pupil. “He’s our previous instructor, isn’t he? The one who went rogue before we were split into teams.”

“Oh, Mizuki-sensei!” Ino reached the same conclusion, remembering the man that had overseen their test to become genin alongside Iruka. The very same one that had tricked Naruto into something, and had gotten arrested for it. The kids had not been given much details on the matter, just that the once thought to have failed Naruto had been accepted and Mizuki had been arrested for wrongdoings. “Wait, he was in jail, wasn’t he? Why does he look like he got ingested by a monster and spit right out?”

“Same question I had,” Tsunade said. “After the invasion from the Sand and the Sound, many of our prisoners managed to escape, but despite our lowered forces, we did manage to recapture most of them. Mizuki here… well, he knew his way around the parameters of our land, so he kept himself well hidden. While not part of their mission, upon returning back, Squad 8 found him, like this, less than three hours ago.”

‘Yuck!’ Ino thought, shivering at the thought of finding such a thing after returning home from a mission. ‘Poor Hinata. Girl must have fainted on sight.’

“…To think someone would mutilate him to such an extent,” Sakura voiced, her eyes scanning the body for any clues she may have missed. Hard to do when there was hardly a body to begin with. “He’s missing so much skin that I feel like it was peeled off his body almost completely. A huge chunk of his body, mostly his torso, is missing it.”

“It’s not missing, per say,” Tsunade corrected, and both Sakura and Ino turned to her with horrified expressions. She didn’t mean. “…Hence why I wanted you two to confirm it was indeed Mizuki of the leaf we had found. Could help us, in turn, decipher this.”

The Hokage then showed the girl another piece of the evidence Team 8 had unfortunately stumbled across. On a nearby table, covered with a blanket to keep anyone unintended from seeing it, was a spread out piece of skin likely measuring several feet. Burned into the skin, like a cursed tattoo, was some selective writing.

“What in the world…?” Sakura felt dizzy.

“…I’m going to be sick,” Ino complained.

‘Even for someone like Lady Tsunade,’ Shizune thought. ‘This may be outright unsettling.’

‘It’s almost like seeing His handy-work again…’ Tsunade thought, but decided against throwing out any baseless accusations for the time being. They needed to focus on the fact at hand. And on the ripped off skin that read:

This Is Not Your Fight, Shinobi!

-0-

“Don’t kill me I have three kids!” he shouted, arms covering his face before the killing blow hit. Then he felt nothing hit him. In fact, he could no longer even hear his opponent. So, confused and still oh so very frightened, Zenitsu Agatsuma slowly opened his eyes, and found himself laying in a very comfortable bed, in a nice, quiet, room. He had no idea what was going on. “Huh!? How?! Where?! Why?! What’s going on?! I was on my mission, about to die, and everything went black! I’m I dead?! Is this heaven?! Why does heaven look so much like the Pillar’s main quarters?!”

“Because that’s where you are!” came another shout, which made Zenitsu squirm and shrink into the bed, before he realized the menacing voice came not from the bloodthirsty demon that had surely killed him, but rather from a familiar very attractive (his description) young lady. “And can you stop screaming, it’s late, and we have other patients. Some who actually fight, you know?”

“Oh! My precious Aoi! How I’ve missed thee!” Zenitsu squealed at the sight of his adored female… friend? Partner? Acquaintance? Yeah, probably that. As he moved to glomp her, she quickly planted the sole of her foot on his face, which in turn he enjoyed way more than she wanted him too.

“I’m not your precious anything,” she told him. “And pipe down. I’m serious! There are sick Slayers all around, you were only admitted because, frankly, we had no idea if you were well enough, and considering it was the first time a person sleepwalked over here.”

“Sleepwalked?” Zenitsu repeated, cocking his head to the side in confusion. “Wait, but… wasn’t I?”

“Your mission was successful, somehow,” Aoi explained, likely just as baffled at his success as he was. “Not sure of the specifics, but I really don’t care. If you feel as fine as your girly screams suggest, then get out, you probably have another mission ready.”

“Wait! No! I’m still… uh, aching, like all over!” Zenitsu defended, not really wanting to be tossed into that hellhole again after he somehow miraculously escaped. A few more days of being taken care off by these girls would do a soon-to-be dead man some good.

“Oh really?” a sarcastic Aoi replied, having had enough of this guy’s attitude to last her several lifetimes. How she hated guys like him. “Perhaps we may need to do more checkups then, maybe something more invasive in nature. So, drop your clothes.”

The phrase got him instantly excited, but the moment he turned to his precious Aoi, with stars in his eyes, he saw that she was putting on a pair of thick gloves, alongside several injections that she had pulled out of thin air. Then he understood what invasive meant to her.

“Eep!” he squealed again. “No, no need for that! I-I feel like I, hey, wouldn’t you know? I feel so much better all the sudden! You sure are a great nurse! How can I ever repay you?!”

“Get out!” she warned, completely annoyed by his antics as she turned around and shut the door, leaving the sweating boy alone to his thoughts.

“…She’s got quite a character…” he muttered. “Hopefully, when I get married, it’ll be to someone much, much warm and nice. Like my dearest Nezuko, oh, how I long to be with her again!”

“Who’s Nezuko?”

“Tanjiro’s little sister, don’t you remember?”

“Ah… who’s Tanjiro?”

“What do you mean, can’t you-wait…?” Zenitsu stopped, his eyes fully wide as his head slowly turned to the other side, opposite the door that Aoi had excited from, to whoever it was had just been speaking to him. He was seconds away from crying.

“Are you talking about Kankuro?” the Beast Slayer Inosuke Hashibira asked, his tone just as carefree as ever, his expressions camouflaged by the boar mask he almost always wore. “It think you are. Tangerine is the one with the sister.”

“Who the hell is Tangerine?!” Zenitsu screamed at the beast man. “But, more importantly, why are you sleeping right next to me?!”

“They forced me to get a checkup,” Inosuke explained. “I told them I was fine, but for some reason they say the body shouldn’t lose… what was it… five or six gallons of blood? I’m not sure what it was they said.”

‘You should be deader than me,’ Zenitsu thought, before he shook his head and decided to simply humor the boar. “That aside, isn’t it funny how we ended up in the same room again? Kinda makes me miss Tanjiro, so the whole party is together again.”

“…I just saw you running back here, so I raced you,” Inosuke explained, as Zenitsu felt like he had no idea what he was talking about. “I totally won, by the way.”

“I’m sure you did,” Zenitsu replied, wondering what the hell had he missed when that demon had knocked him out cold. Had Inosuke not been the one to save him then?

“Chip! Chip! Chip!”

“Your bird is ringing,” Inosuke informed.

“Bird’s don’t ring!” Zenitsu argued, before he turned towards his little birdie, who had just flown in through the window, just as eager as she usually was. “What now? Sending me off to die again?”

“Chip!”

“Another mission huh?” Zenitsu lamented. “The never give me a break. Where to now?”

“Chip!”

“Huh?” Zenitsu asked, cocking his head to the side. “Inosuke’s coming with me?”

The boar began to pay attention.

“Chip!”

“And Tanjiro too?!” Zenitsu asked again, this time actually sounding happy. ‘Which means… Nezuko!’

“Chip!”

“And Naruto too?!” Zenitsu asked yet again, still very happy, until… “Wait… who the hell is Naruto?”

The boar had no idea.

-0-

The pile of bodies was usually not something he purposely tried to create. He would simply allow the humans to attack him, to attempt to defend and protect themselves. In the end, it was all fruitless, for them. He slaughtered them once he realized they couldn’t offer him a challenge, and he would devour them right afterwards. He needed to. He had told him to do so. And he would never betray His orders, not especially after his latest blunder. The Pillar had been one thing, but the boy? The boy with the mark and the earrings and the little demoness on his back, why couldn’t he get him out of his head. He never liked killing children, but for him, for this damn kid, he’d happily made an exception.

So, as Akaza fed a top a mountain of corpses from the latest batch that had been unfortunate enough to cross his path, way up in a moist cave in the mountains away from the coming sunlight, he felt at peace, for once, his plans and goals now finally having a face. The best way to earn His good graces, and to pay the brat back for that humiliation.

The Upper Moon Three took another bite, but then he sensed something. Another human? How sad… He had been fed enough already, so to have to kill again, was almost annoying.

“My, my,” the human spoke up, a reaction that Akaza had not expected from his would-be prey. Could it perhaps be a Slayer? A Pillar? “You seem like a busy one. And quite the hard man to reach to boot. Do you have some minutes to spare?”

“…I’m not in the best mood,” Akaza spoke, his tone drenching with venom. “I’ve had my fill, but what is one more? Would you care to try and fight? Or will you run? I’ll give you to the count of five.”

“My, how very generous,” Kabuto Yakushi replied, using his middle finger to fix the positions of his glasses. “However, I feel that there would be some merit to hearing me out, after all…”

The Upper Moon Three stared down at the Snake’s Right Hand Man, as both killers began what would in history be called “The Most Horrifying Alliance in History”.

“…it seems my Master wishes to meet your Master.”


	3. Team Slayers, Deployed!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading and for all the kudos! Want more? Make sure to check me out on FF.net for more Chapters and Stories!

“Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru! It’s getting late, mom says for us all to come back inside,” the elder sister called out, one hand opened right next to her lips in an effort to make her voice reach further. She had never been one to be loud, especially when also tasked with the tremendously difficult task of putting her baby brother to sleep. Try as she might, little Rokuta was wide awake, those dark red eyes peeking from her shoulder and onto his ever playful siblings. He missed his father; that much she knew. They all did, and the pain of his departure hurt even more so whenever their elder brother would be away.

“Ah, come on sis!” Shigeru whined, grabbing onto the ball the trio had been playing with as if his elder sister Nezuko was about to yank it from him. Silly boy, she’d never. “We want to wait until Tanjiro comes back.”

“Big bro should be back soon,” the younger sister, Hanako, explained. “It’s already getting dark. He never stays out after dark.”

“Which is exactly why~” Nezuko playfully began, before softly bopped the ball out of Shigeru’s hands before the boy could react, and as it bounced up from the ground, she caught it without much effort.

“Hey!” the younger brother exclaimed with a pout.

“Too slow~” she practically sang to him. Yank it from him? She’d never. Bop it right under his nose and claim it as her own? That she’d definitely do. “Now, come on, all of you, mom’s been busy making our food for us to come in late when it’s already cold. We’ll all get together and play tomorrow morning, promise!”

“Yeah, sis’s right,” the second eldest boy, Takeo, thankfully took her stance in all this. Nezuko had already been planning to play them a three-on-one game to get their butts into their seats, but this would suffice. “This place gets pretty creepy at night, so let’s go in.”

“You think big bro is alright?” a worried Hanako asked, and Nezuko could only offer the little princess a soft smile.

“Big brother? Oh, of course he is!” the elder sister addressed, as all of her siblings, as they walked back towards their little home, turned to face her as she spoke. “He’s insanely responsible and dependable. If he’s late, it’s probably because he’s making great progress in his work. Come tomorrow, he’ll bring enough for new clothing for you all!” Nezuko explained, then stopped, wondering to herself if she should probably lower those expectations a bit, as she didn’t want to burden her brother any more than he already was. “…But material stuff aside, which isn’t important, he’ll be back safe and sound, and we can play ball, all of us. Any bets on who’ll win between us?”

“Big bro.”

“Brother.”

“Big bro Tanjiro, obviously.”

“Bro bro~”

“…Not a single vote of confidence in my favor it seems,” a playfully distressed Nezuko said with her head lowered in shame, as her siblings all moved to “console” her, and by that, they began to tickle her. She had to bite into her lips as they did, as they all knew her weakness well. She was insanely ticklish, and despite her best effort to tickle back, she was no match for an onslaught of four against one, especially when one of those four hung right at her back. By the time the five siblings made their way into their home, their mother had a very peculiar sight before her. Four happy kids and a very exhausted looking Nezuko.

“Kids…” their mother voiced, and the four immediately straightened up. “Don’t take advantage of your sister like that. Otherwise I will be forced to authorize her to fight back.”

The four gulped turning to each other, before the eyed their elder sister…

…Nezuko flashed the four a very sinister grin, which made them all rush towards the dining area, laughing all the way at their elder sister’s playful nature. The table had already been set, so they each took a seat, as Nezuko moved in and set herself on the table, before setting Rokuta right next to her. She pinched his cheeks out of habit, causing the boy that seemed to be recognizing Nezuko more as his actual mother than Kie, who in her defense found that utterly adorable. Within moments, the family of seven minus one were eating, the warm meal taking away the chill from the night, and the candles adoring the area pushing away the darkness that had enveloped their loving home.

It wasn’t perfect, because despite how sure she made herself sound to her siblings, she was awfully worried about her elder brother. Tanjiro was dependable, she had not lied about that. He was also smart, and resourceful. If he got into any sort of problem, he’d know how to get out of it. But… that didn’t mean she wouldn’t worry. Any sister would. She didn’t like to sleep in this house if he wasn’t there. If any single one of them wasn’t there. A home was made by its people, not the walls or the roof. So she couldn’t help but worry, and simply promise herself that she’s jump into his arms and hug him tightly whenever he’d come back, making him swear he’d never stay out so late again.

He’d laugh and apologize, because of course he would, and he’d promise he wouldn’t. And Nezuko knew; she knew he’d keep it. Because if there was one person she could depend on, it was her elder brother.

Then came the knock.

They had almost finished eating. Rokuta had at least, especially since Nezuko had spoon-fed him most of it. She was in the process of tucking him into bed when she heard the knocking on their door, her eyes almost sparkling at the idea that Tanjiro had finally returned, just before they sunk when she recalled that he wouldn’t knock like that. He’d know they were probably about to go to sleep, he’d just come in, so… who…?

Nezuko then heard her mother by the door. Nezuko couldn’t see that far back, not from the room she was at, trying her best not to let the youngest brother be awakened. She could also hear the other three, bouncing about, likely thinking it was Tanjiro at the door.

“Kids please. You guys haven’t finished eating yet,” she heard her mother tell the three, before she heard the sound of the door be opened. Somehow, even if she was far away from their, the chill of the night hit her as soon as that door was opened, down to her very bones. “Y-Yes?”

“My apologies,” spoke what Nezuko figured was a grown man. He sounded young, but he also sounded old. He sounded kind, yet he also sounded… wrong. She couldn’t quite understand it. She began to move towards the entrance, to catch a glimpse of this visiting stranger. “I seem to have lost my way across these woods,” the man told their mother. “…And I couldn’t quite help but become enamoured by that wonderful smell coming from this little household. I don’t mean to be a bother, but may I warm myself in your home, if only for a few minutes?”

‘He wants to come inside?’ Nezuko thought, as her increasingly quickening steps took her from the kids’ rooms towards the entrance, trying her best to calm herself and tell herself that any gut feeling she was experiencing was nothing more than paranoia. The effect of hearing so many tall-tale from the locals.

“Who are you Mister?” Hanako quickly asked, as their mother quickly shushed the little girl.

“Hanako, sweetie, please,” Kie Kamado said, before she turned to the stranger. “I’m sorry, they get, well, excited when people visit. It doesn’t happen often.”

“Oh, no offense whatsoever,” the man replied. He then turned to Hanako, and just as Nezuko managed to peek her head from the edge of the wall, the man flashed the girl a very peculiar smile. “My name’s Kibutsuji Muzan,” he introduced. “And it’s my utmost pleasure to meet you sweetheart. How old are you?”

“Oh! I’m-”

“She’s young,” Nezuko cut in, stepping out from the hallway and walking towards their visitor, whose expression shifted so quickly she wasn’t able to follow it properly. It was almost as she had imagined it, since as soon as she observed him, he was all smiles at her. “My name’s Nezuko Kamado, the eldest of this household.”

“Ah, eldest,” he commented. “Such a pleasure to meet you young lady. Quite the lovely set of kids you have here Mrs. Kamado. I’m almost envious.”

“You have kids, Mr. Muzan?” her mother voiced, her tone still wary of the man. Just as how Nezuko was.

“One,” he replied. “Although, sometimes it feels like I have hundreds, with how… naughty they can be. Kids, I mean.”

“Mine are a handful at times,” their mother admitted, as the younger three kids present pouted, unaware of the situation at hand. “It’s very late, Mr. Muzan, and I’m expecting my husband and eldest boy to be back here soon, so if you’d like, I could pack up a little bit of our meal so that you may-”

“You don’t have a husband.”

“-enjoy it on… What?”

“Funny, I didn’t stammer,” Muzan spoke, the politeness fully exorcised from his voice. All that remained was venom, and it made all the kids freeze in place. “I said, you don’t have a husband. Not a living one, at least. I should know, I asked around. An elder boy, which you do have, for the given definition of “elder” at least. Still, my assessment of this household remains, you are severely lacking a male presence in this home.”

“P-Please leave,” their mother instructed, her tone filled with fright, but her eyes burning themselves into Muzan, watching his every move. She was scared, because of course she was, but she was making it clear she wasn’t going to let him inside.

“My, how impolite,” Muzan voiced, as he proceeded to place his hand on hat. A very expensive looking hat, Nezuko had noted, white as the very snow which fell. He removed it from his head, and placed it to the side, letting it drop to the floor just outside the Kamado family’s home. “I come to you, hungry and cold, and you chase me away. Why am I not surprised?”

Nezuko could barely follow what happened next. One moment their mother had been standing between this man and them, the very next she’s impaled to the wall, well behind them all, by a long claw-like thing protruding out of that monstrous man. She and her siblings were now covered in blood that was not their own, but that very could well be, as Muzan merely cocked his head to the side at display before him. The kids weren’t screaming, or running. They were just standing there shocked, as small tears began to slowly form in their eyes.

“Kids…” he muttered. “Always so slow in the intake. Let me try to help. I, as in this guy right here, just murdered your mother, who’s over there, making for a very elegant wall decoration if I do say so myself. That aside, like I said, I am famished, so allow me to take that woman up on her offer feast on the four delicious little treats she made for me.”

He took a step forwards, the claw contorting itself and retreating towards his body, as if ready to pounce onto any of them. The kids were frozen in place their eyes wide, as Muzan took aim, just before Nezuko jumped in between him and them.

“Ah, eldest indeed,” he applauded. “Are you going to beg, cry or try and make a wager? I can never properly predict which one I’ll get.”

“…N-No, p-please w-wait-t,” she began, as he tears would not stop. Despite this, she kept her hands fully extended, in a vain effort at keeping this monster from reaching her siblings. “I-I-”

“Ah, beg it is,” he said, and she felt herself about to faint. “Oh, don’t mind me, go on. I want to hear you say it.”

“I-I, n-no, please, j-just let u-us-l-let them,” she tried, but Muzan simply moved one hand to the side, and flicked his wrist. Nezuko only felt a breeze, before she heard the wood crack.

Then she saw Shigeru fall, his body covered in blood, his eyes as lifeless as their mother’s. She didn’t even hear him scream.

“Your begging does not amuse me in the slightest, you can barely pronounce the words properly,” he explained, as he moved to eye the shaking Hanako, as Takeo forced himself to move and cover his little sister with his own frame, causing Muzan to give the boy a small, proud smile. “Ah, the third eldest I take it. Not bad. Won’t do you much good, but I’ll try and make it painless.”

“No!” Nezuko shouted as loud as she could, as she quickly turned to the two. “Run! Run away now!”

Takeo didn’t have the strength in him to move, but upon hearing his sister’s desperate plea, he forced his body to react and ran, grabbing Hanako by the hand and pulling her along with him, as the two fled from the area and into the house, with Nezuko noting that they were moving towards where Rokuta was. Good, Nezuko noted, it would mean they could carry him out as well.

She then saw Muzan shift in his stance, his hand raising towards where the kids were running. She quickly got in the way, grabbing his hand with her own, lowering his aim towards her own body, as she pleaded again, this time forcing herself to speak as best she could, fear be damned. “Please, take me, do whatever you want to me. Just let them go. They’re kids. I-I’m worth much more. Just tell me what it is you want, I’ll do it. You won’t be hungry with me, so please, I beg you, just let them go. Please…”

Muzan paused, turning to face the twelve year old girl currently begging not for her life, but for her siblings’. He then offered the girl the fondest smile she had seen the man sport, and for a moment, her own face lit up. It didn’t matter she had practically sold herself to this monster, all that mattered was that they were safe. That she could protect them. No matter what this monster did to her, if they were safe, then she’d endure.

“Such a caring little lady,” Muzan mussed, as he called back the tendril. Nezuko’s eyes widened. When had he summoned it again? “…That offer is one I’ll remember. Unfortunately, you really can’t offer me anything I can’t simply take otherwise.”

“…What…?”

He then pulled his “claw” back fully, and on the tip, were the bodies of Takeo and Hanako, perforated by the torso, blood drenching from their wound, mouth and eyes. Nezuko screamed and cried, trying to reach their bodies, but Muzan kept them at bay. “Please have some proper etiquette my dear, don’t touch my food.”

“Oh… God, no… Oh,” Nezuko cried out, before she felt the air leave her body as Muzan lifted her by the neck, almost effortlessly, as he placed her at eye-level with him, his eyes now blood red.

“Where are your manners?” he asked her, and his voice now sounded monstrous. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, did your mother never teach you that? The only divine intervention you may cry out to is of my own, so, let me see you grovel at my feet. Lick them, kiss them, grovel and I may spare him!”

Him?

Nezuko’s crying eyes widened. In his other hand, somehow, was a trembling Rokuta, his eyes meeting hers, a silent plea from him to her. She felt her entire world fall to pieces at that very moment. “…Rokuta,” she whimpered.

“Choose your words carefully little girl,” Muzan told her. “Your baby brother’s very life hangs in the bal-shit!”

She bit down so hard into his hand that it drew blood, shocking the invading demon so much that he instinctively released her. It had not been the pain, as he barely felt anything, but just the sheer animosity from the petite girl that took him by complete surprise. She, on the other hand, wasted no time. She landed on her feet, and ran towards Rokuta, snatching him from Muzan’s tendril just as easily as she would a ball from Shigeru. Then she ran. She pressed Rokuta against her chest, as the boy cried out to her, and she ran. She ran past the bodies of her family, knowing that stopping even for a second would mean she’d lose Rokuta as well. So she ran. Out of their blood drenched home. Out to the dark woods…

Out to find Tanjiro… He’d know how to help them. He’d be able to protect them. Please…

“Please…” she cried out, “Someone he-!”

Then she felt the tendril tear right through her abdomen. As she felt her body grow numb, her eyes darted downwards. Her back, her stomach. She was holding Rokuta there. Was he also…? She couldn’t see. She couldn’t see anything anymore. She could only gasp for air, even if she wasn’t sure there were any lungs left to be filled. As she landed on the cold ground, her last moments were nothing but the taste of copper that the blood of that monster had left in her lips, as the cold and darkness took her.

In her death, she also remembered Tanjiro, crying out to her.

“Nezuko!”

Don’t cry. I don’t like it when you cry.

“Nezuko!”

I’m here. I can hear you. Forgive me, I couldn’t save them.

“Nezuko, don’t worry, I’ll save you… I-I promise, I will…”

I know. I know. Of course you will.

“Nezuko! Stop! It’s me!”

Nezuko jumped away, the sight of her pouncing on Tanjiro, fangs ready to devour the last of her family, as she fought against her urges with what little was left of herself. She’d never heard him, she’s rather die. So she forced herself to bounce away, with way too much strength, and she felt herself land on a wooded surface, cracking it open like if it were made of paper, before she bounced again and landed on another surface, this time softly as to not break it. Her vision was still blurry, and it was dark, but as her eyes desperately searched for something familiar, she made eye contact with him.

“Nezuko!” her brother cried out, standing above her, somehow, his feet to the ceiling. “It’s alright, we’re safe. Was it a nightmare? You’re safe, look, safe,” Tanjiro assured her, pointing to their surroundings. Nezuko looked around, her eyes scanning the place. It was a wooded room of sorts, minimalistic in nature but cozy. It wasn’t their home, nor was it Sakonji Urokodaki’s home. She looked around some more, finally noticing that her brother was not standing upside down above her, rather she was hanging on the ceiling, all creepily on all fours. She blushed slightly at this, as she noticed she was still simply wearing that smelly orange jacket that the multiplying boy had given her and little else.

The blushing girl bounced right back and landed on the floor before her worried brother, who quickly moved and gave the girl a warm hug, one which she never felt she needed more than now.

“It’s okay,” he whispered into her ear, as she buried her head into his chest. “It’s alright Nezuko, we’re together now. Nothing is going to hurt you.”

She whimpered into his robes, a muffled sound he didn’t understand, but one which she wished to the heavens she could tell him that she wasn’t worried about herself. This should never be about her.

Then he filled her face with kisses, which made the younger girl all giddy inside, exorcising the dream demons that had taken over her and allowing her to smile once more, even if said smile was obscured by the familiar piece of bamboo that kept her in check.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“Mm hmm,” she nodded back.

“That’s good!” he replied, placing his hand across her check and caressing his younger sister gently. “…You don’t have to worry. We’ll find a cure… and we’ll end this nightmare. We’ll bring that monster down; he won’t win. You remember the stories mom used to read to us, right? Not once did the evil monsters win. Well, we’ll have ourselves one of those endings. A happy ending, to our ever convoluted story. That sound good to you.”

She said nothing. Just nodded once more, and he smiled at her.

Then the broken wall was broken further. The ninja that had been sleeping elsewhere rushed into the siblings’ room, pants only up one leg, held up by one hand, a kunai in his mouth and his pillow on his other hand. He had the eyes of a madman, half scared and half angry, as he dashed towards the two. Tanjiro and Nezuko looked on, stupefied.

“What was that?! An attack?! Is it another one of those de-ack!” the blonde screamed out, before he tripped on some wooden debris and landed flat on his face, filling the room with the feathers that had made up his once-upon-a-time pillow.

“Where’s the attack?! Naruto, remember what I told you not to rush into-ack!” the blonde’s master, the self-proclaimed Toad Sannin, or something to that extent, rushed behind Naruto, sporting only colorful underpants and still clutching onto his favorite bikini-model body-pillow, as he also tripped (on his pupil, no less) and landed flat on his face.

Tanjiro and Nezuko just looked on, at the two “ninjas” currently sprawled across the wooden floor, a feeling of awkwardness enveloping the four. It did, however, result in Nezuko giving out a very soft laughter, which if only for just a bit, reminded Tanjiro of the Nezuko of old. Perhaps some things were for the best, he noted.

“Ah, that’s right,” he muttered to her, as the two Shinobi began to argue with each other over who messed up the most. “It’s not just our story anymore, is it?”

-0-

“Alright kids, eat up!” Jiraiya told the two as he placed a breakfast-banquet on the table, as both Naruto and Tanjiro gave the sight a very questioning look. The old man had cooked them a very big and varied breakfast meal. Eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, fruits, sausages and plenty more was placed on the big table before the duo. This little two-room hotel they had “booked”, or rather, that had been deserted ever since the village had been evacuated and thus they didn’t need to pay a ryo; was pretty cozy at least. It did allow for Naruto and the Kamado siblings to rest, which after their fight with the two demons, it was something the very much needed.

“Since when can you even cook Pervy Sage,” Naruto asked Jiraiya, as the elder man gave the boy a sharp look.

“I’ll have you know I’m a pro behind the stove,” Jiraiya told his ward, an air of pride in his words. “If you want to be a proper ninja, you should learn how to cover all your basics, and a ninja most be properly nourished.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto mumbled as he sat down, rubbing his still sleepy eyes in the process. Hard to fall asleep after a demonic girl broke down your wall and almost made it fall on you in the middle of your rest. “…You’re just showing off in front of the siblings.”

“What was that?!”

“Nothing! Let’s dig in!”

“That’s what I thought you said,” Jiraiya added, as he took a seat himself on the opposite side of the table, before he turned to the young swordsman. “I know it’s pretty to look at, but food it meant to be eaten. Take a seat kiddo.”

“Oh, I, erm,” Tanjiro tried, but all he could do was stammer and blush. “I-I’m thankful, really. You’ve both have been very kind to us, despite how rash I acted earlier,” Tanjiro explained. “But I really don’t want to be a hindrance. Nezuko and I will take our leave, you do not have to take care of us, and we’ll pay you back anything you believe fair.”

The boy then bowed before the Sannin, who gave the sight a curious look, before he turned to Naruto, who was busy shoving four pancakes into his mouth. Naruto tried to say “don’t look at me, he’s weird” but nothing could have ever been understood out of that food-filled mouth of his.

“Swallow before you talk, you damn brat,” Jiraiya reprimanded, before he turned to Tanjiro. “And you, take that stick out of your butt.”

“What?!”

“Relax a little,” the Master explained. “A little hospitality is such a good thing to let it go to waste. You and your sister helped out at subduing those troublemaking demons last night; way I see it, we’re now comrades in arms, so let’s feast. Besides, I can’t let two kids go on hungry, that ain’t the type of man I am.”

“I possibly couldn’t,” the still bashful Tanjiro tried.

“You most certainly could,” Jiraiya added. “Besides, my idiot apprentice here broke something of yours, didn’t he? So we owe you that much.”

“I didn’t break it!” Naruto defended. “I used it for a substitution! The big demon-thing was very punchy in his methods, so it broke. I’ll get them a new one!”

“Oh yeah, right,” Jiraiya shot back. “I’m sure you have easy access to Mist Cloud Fir materials just lying around, no?”

Naruto then shifted his position in his seat, avoiding the accusing gaze of his master and he took a sip from his orange juice. “…maybe.”

“You don’t, and that’s obvious. It doesn’t grow in these parts after all,” Jiraiya explained, as he stood up, taking a few steps until he reached Tanjiro, who looked up at the elder man, still unsure of what he should do. “But don’t you worry about that. A few friends of mine know of the material, and they took care of that little issue, I hope it’s to your liking!”

“Huh? What do you-?” Tanjiro began, but before he could finish asking, Jiraiya took one of the kitchen knives and cut himself slightly on his thumb, which shocked Tanjiro greatly, despite the fact that Naruto did not even bat an eye at the display. A few hand signals later, a puff of smoke covered the kitchen floor, as Tanjiro could swear he had seen some type of scripture appear out of the blue on the wood on the floor.

“Summoning Jutsu!”

And out of the smoke appeared a new box, almost inch-for-inch the same as the one his Master had made for him previously. Tanjiro could only look on with the widest of eyes and his jaw slightly agape. It was fixed. He didn’t know how, but it was.

“That was amazing!” Tanjiro told them. Jiraiya smiled proudly. Naruto stuffed his face. “I-It’s just as good as new! Such great work, thank you! I-I mean, I wasn’t holding Naruto accountable, he did it to protect himself and help us in fighting those demons, so I’d much rather this box break than anything happen to him… But, man, thanks! I was brainstorming all night how to carry Nezuko back without getting her drenched in sunlight.”

“Wait,” Naruto spoke up, using his chopsticks to point to the box. “You seriously shove your sister in there? There aren’t even any air-holes on that thing!”

“She’s not human Naruto, remember?” Jiraiya answered for Tanjiro, and the swordsman froze. Would that be a problem for this man? He’d never allow anyone to hurt Nezuko, that was certain, but he also knew… He knew, by just being in the presence of this man, if Jiraiya wanted him dead, he would be dead within moments. He could feel it.

“…She won’t hurt a human,” Tanjiro told the two. “She’s been like this for years now. And I have wagered my life in proving that, and my goal is to save her, so you mustn’t worry about her.”

“Nah, she’s cool,” Naruto answered, waving Tanjiro’s concern off as he continued eating. “Girl’s got a mean kick though, might make for a good training partner. Still rough to have to shove her into that small box.”

“He does it because demons can’t resist the sun,” Jiraiya explained, as Tanjiro looked on, surprised at this man’s knowledge.

“You know…?”

“I’ve had my run-ins,” Jiraiya explained. “Demons don’t usually reach these parts. Not those types in any case. But I have met a few members of your corps, of the Demon Slayers. Rowdy bunch, I must admit, but man do they have good looking women, am I right?” Jiraiya added as he nudged Tanjiro’s shoulder, as the young boy’s face turned bright red in response.

“W-What? Oh, I don’t know about that! They’re very dependable comrades, and strong fighters, you know…” he replied, finding the subject of the conversation very awkward for him.

“Oh, yeah, no denying their skills, but,” Jiraiya continued, offering the boy a very strange smirk. “You also know what else I mean. Those short skirts, those tight robes, some of those girls have such a tight attire that it feels that at even the slightest motion their clothes are just going to open up and out comes those perky br-”

Naruto’s bowl landed right against the pervert’s face, sending the elder man onto the ground.

“Dial down on the dirty old man shtick there,” Naruto dryly told the fallen man. “Tanjiro’s telling you about how he wants to save his sister and all you’re worried about is checking out his superiors, for shame,” Naruto continued, as he half-heartedly wondered to himself when did he become the voice of reason of, well, anything?

“Fair point,” the man with the bowl still stuck on his head answered, before he stood back up and addressed Tanjiro again. “Sorry about that, my inner writer occasionally takes over me sometimes.”

“He means he can’t help being a pervert,” Naruto added.

“Stop butting in!” Jiraiya scolded, before he turned back to an ever-more confused Tanjiro. “Now, I see that you are quite the peculiar Demon Slayer. Considering how strict their rules are, that they’d openly allow one of their own to carry a demon around is quite something. Must have taken you a lot of effort to manage that.”

“Yeah, I could have done it without Master Urokodaki, and of course the Water Pillar Giyu Tomioka. They both pledged their lives in order to assure the Corps that Nezuko would never harm a human being. I… I wouldn’t have gotten this far without them,” Tanjiro explained, feeling his throat tightening as he did, since it was still a subject that made him tear up a bit.

“Huh? Master Urokodaki? Are you referring to Sakonji Urokodaki by any chance?” Jiraiya asked, and at this Tanjiro lit up.

“Yes, he’s my Master. He trained me in the Demon Slaying arts,” he replied. “Y-You know him?”

“Know him? I fought alongside him a long time ago,” Jiraiya replied, and both Naruto and Tanjiro gave the man an awestruck look. “What? I haven’t spent my entire career just walking around the Land of Fire. There’s a big world out there, very big mind you. Still, that crazy masked swordsman is now tutoring kids, my, how times change. Is he still a Pillar?”

“Oh, no, he has retired,” Tanjiro replied. “…He’s still insanely strong, though.”

“I’d imagine,” Jiraiya commented. “To be frank, there’s a lot of questions I wish I could ask you, given the strangeness of all these events that have been happening the last couple of weeks. Seems like the demons are a whole lot more active nowadays, and have begun to appear in areas where they had never before set foot in… But, that might have to wait.”

“Huh?” Naruto and Tanjiro both asked in unison, blinking questioningly at the older man.

“…Seems like our little Demon Slayer here is being called into action,” Jiraiya explained, as he pointed to the nearest window, where a familiar crow had just landed, his eyes fixated on Tanjiro, who bit his lip in anticipation. Naruto just looked on, wondering what all the fuss was about regarding one dumb bird.

-0-

It took several days for him to reach his destination, or rather, several days to reach the midpoint towards what would eventually be his final destination. As he traveled, he noticed that the days got longer, the nights got shorter, and the heat and dryness of the ambience got ever so stronger. It didn’t take long for him to notice he was getting closer and closer to a desert. Once he managed to reach the designating meeting spot, as per told by his superiors, he couldn’t even begin to process just how damn big the desert before him seemed to be. Utterly endless, he noted, a sure sign that he was going to buy his farm within those sands…

“Oh, Slayer Zenitsu, pleased to see you have arrived unharmed,” a voice spoke right next to the sword-wielding youth, who proceeded to jump in sheer fright and land a few meters away, sword drawn (still tucked away in its sheath) in an effort to defend himself.

“Who goes there?!” the ever-scared Lightning Master screamed out, before his eyes caught glimpse of the individual responsible for his latest fright.

“Oh… My apologies for, erm, startling you,” a familiar face, erm, mask told him. One of the members of the clean-up brigade, Zenitsu remembered; named Goto if he recalled that correctly. “I have been given the extra task of handing your group a few essentials before you embark on your journey.”

“Oh, that’s nice of you…” Wait. “…Before we embark? I thought I was already half-way there!”

“Oh, well, if you count it by distance, then yes, probably,” Goto explained. “But over in this parts is where all the disappearance have been happening, as most people who enter that desert are never seen again. Seems like it’s quite the challenge for them to send so many of you, noteworthy as you all are.”

“You don’t say…” a teary eyed Zenitsu muttered, before he registered the other part of Goto’s words. “Wait… So many? How many Slayers are there assigned to this mission?”

“Five,” Goto replied.

“Five? That’s… not too bad actually… But, where are they?” Zenitsu asked, seeing as there was no one else out there but Goto and himself. And he damn well hoped Goto, for as dependable as he was, wasn’t among those “five” Slayers.

“They haven’t arrived yet, it seems,” Goto replied, as he took out his backpack and pulled out a few fabrics. “Hence why I’m handing this to you. As per instructed, a new attire for both of the Kamado siblings, which they requested to after their latest battle.”

‘Kamado? Yes!’ Zenitsu thought, as he lit up. “That means Tanjiro! No, even better, that means Nezuko! Oh, my precious, adorable Nezuko! Together at last! Ah… Wait? She gets a uniform too? Since when?”

“I don’t think it’s one of yours,” Goto explained. “Just a pinkish kimono, the checkered obi and the haori, which she seemed to get… eaten, I think, if I read the report ri-”

Zenitsu had Goto by the throat so fast that the masked boy didn’t even see the blonde move. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, as Zenitsu spoke to him with a voice so frightening that he could have sworn it had come from a demon as opposed to a Slayer. “…Did you say my precious Nezuko got eaten?”

“O-Oh, n-no, Slayer Z-Zenitsu, she’s fine, i-it was he clothing that got-”

“Huh?” the now returned to normal Zenitsu asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion. “Just her clothes? Wait… does that mean my dear Nezuko was indecent?!”

“I… wouldn’t know,” Goto answered honestly.

“Well, not that it matters much, given how she only travels with Tanjiro, and as the elder brother, he’d never allow anyone to see such a pure princess in any state of undress,” Zenitsu concluded, as he nodded no himself, proud of his reasoning. Goto was still confused.

“Uh… yes, they weren’t being accompanied by any other Slayer,” Goto confirmed, then remembered, “Oh, but there was that one young ninja with them, the one who helped him complete their miss-ack!”

Goto was once again being held by the throat.

“…What ninja?”

“I-I haven’t a-any i-id-ack!”

Then Goto got thrown right out of Zenitsu’s hands, or rather, kicked out. The poor boy flew a bit, before he silently fell onto the nearby sand, landing head first and remaining sticking in place with his feet in the air. Zenitsu could only blink, completely confused as he had not pushed the masked boy in the slightest, but as soon as he turned to the side, his confusion became annoyance.

“Pig Assault!” screamed the assailant, who had just kicked the cleanup brigade member several feet away. The ever shirtless, boar-mask wearing boy then turned to Zenitsu, and offered the blonde a hearty thumbs-up. “Nice hold! I got him good!”

Zenitsu wanted to kick him away, for good if possible.

“You imbecil, he’s one of ours!” Zenitsu screamed into Inosuke’s face, as the pig quickly got pissed and began to scream right back.

“Then why were you attacking him?!” the pig assaulted verbally.

“I wasn’t! I was asking about Nezuko!” Zenitsu defended.

“Who’s Nezumi?!” Inosuke barked back.

“It’s Ne-zu-ko, you Neanderthal!” Zenitsu corrected. “If there’s anybody who you need to put some effort in getting their name right, it’s her!”

“I never get names wrong!”

“What’s my name then?”

“Zenigata!”

“Do I look like an Inspector to you?!”

“I don’t know your life!”

As Zenitsu and Inosuke looked all but ready to begin slashing themselves to bits, a familiar sight caused them both to stop in their tracks, turning their heads to the side, both staring into the same direction from where they had walked in from. Standing feet from the bickering duo, stood the third member of their trio, who upon seeing the two, quickly lit up, smiles and all, which caused the two to lower their animosity, even if they couldn’t quite describe why.

“Zenitsu! Inosuke!” Tanjiro cried out as he rushed to them, and before they could react, jumped towards them and gave the two a tight hug, which caught them off-guard, especially the pig. “I’m so glad you both are alright! Can you believe it that we’re together again on a-huh?”

Tanjiro was confused, as one second he had been hugging his best friends, the next, he had been tackled onto the ground by Inosuke. The Water Slayer was dumbfounded to say the least.

“Nice try Konjiro!” Inosuke praised, in his special way. “But your tackle needs work! You won’t catch me off-guard so easily!”

Then Inosuke was smacked right across his mask by Zenitsu, causing it to flip and face the other way.

“You idiot!” Zenitsu scolded, as the pig swung his fists in the air like a madman, as he didn’t bother to fix his mask first before he started his counter attack. “He was hugging us! Can you be anymore stupid?”

“That’s quite alright,” a sandy Tanjiro cut in, popping back up on his feet and brushing himself off. “That’s still very nice of you Inosuke.”

“What?!”

“That you tackled me to the ground facedown,” Tanjiro explained, pointing to his back. “…That way Nezuko would be disturbed. For such a brash guy, you can be pretty gentle at times.”

“…I will cut you.”

“Ignore the pig!” Zenitsu cut in, stepping between Tanjiro and Inosuke, quickly grabbing Tanjiro’s hands with his own. “That aside, how have you two been? I heard that you got into quite the fight, and m-your sister Nezuko got her… clothes eaten, if I understood that correctly?”

“She should dress like me,” Inosuke cut in, standing proudly to show off his half-nakedness. “That way there’s barely anything to lose!”

“She’s a girl you moron!”

“And what of it!”

“Guys, guys, relax,” Tanjiro tried his best to calm the two. Mission had not even begun and they were already off to a rough start, it seemed. “But yeah, I got my clothing wrecked, and Nezuko too. Not all of it, just her outerwear. The Corps said they’d send someone with replacements here, so I was wondering if… why are you two looking at each other like that?”

“Ah…” Inosuke began.

“We totally forgot him…” Zenitsu concluded, as both he and Inosuke ran towards Goto’s now limp body, still buried in the sand. Zenitsu to try and help the guy, Inosuke to try and beat Zenitsu at “helping” the guy. Tanjiro could only stare, completely shocked, at the display before him. This was going to be a long mission… which, of course, reminded him of that one other factor…

“Are those the guys you keep mentioning?” the jacketless ninja spoke up as he walked towards Tanjiro, his eyes scanning the two other swordsmen currently digging out the almost dead guy from the sand. Naruto knew his fair share of quirky dudes, but this honestly felt a bridge too far, even for him.

“They’re… difficult,” Tanjiro tried to downplay. “But, once you get to know them, I wouldn’t want anyone else next to me in the battlefield.”

“Makes sense,” Naruto replied, as he narrowed his eyes at the sight before him. Not the Slayers, but rather, the desert that they had been assigned to travers. ‘Pervy Sage was clear when he said I should come with these guys, but this desert, if I heard it right from him, it is the Land where the Sand Shinobi have their village, right? Somewhere in there, I mean…’

He remembered the words Jiraiya had told him, moments before he departed with Tanjiro and Nezuko on their next assignment.

“Do I really need to go?” Naruto whined. “I get helping people an all, but wasn’t the purpose of me leaving the village so that I could focus on my training fully?”

“It was, and it still is,” Jiraiya replied. “If you’re lucky, you’ll learn a lot from this. But that summoning crow, not only did it address Tanjiro, but it also requested my presence at their headquarters. Shinobi and Slayers barely communicate, but it seems whatever this Muzan fellow is up to had the Slayers rattled, and that could end up affecting us if we don’t do something about it. Hey, don’t give me that look,” he added, as he softly patted Naruto’s head. “I’m just going to get some intel from them. You be careful and learn as much as you can from their methods. A Hokage should know more about the world than any other Shinobi in his or her village, so consider this a massive step forwards. Be on guard, and as always…”

See though deception.

‘Easier said than done, but… I’ll own this mission so hard that I’ll be both a Hokage and a Pillar-thingy all in one when this is done!’ Naruto declared to himself, as he watched as a now revived Goto gave Tanjiro his clothing and Nezuko’s, while the masked man practically ignored the other two, likely still mad by being pile driven into the sand. Tanjiro simply placed Nezuko’s clothes into her box, the shape-shifting girl probably having no trouble getting dressed in that tight space, whenever she woke up that was. 

Then Goto left, in a hurry, and the other two Slayers turned their attention to Naruto, who cocked a brow in anticipation.

“Um… Tanjiro?” Zenitsu began. “Who’s this other dude?”

“A villain!” Inosuke accused, as he reached for his blades.

“No! Stop it!” Tanjiro quickly scolded the pig, and to Naruto’s surprise, the volatile young man actually stood down. “This is my new friend, his name is Naruto Uzumaki, a ninja in-training who helped Nezuko and me against some demons. He is going to be his village’s next Hokage, was it? Did I say it right-Naruto?”

Naruto was almost crying.

“D-Don’t mind m-me,” the increasingly snottier ninja said. “I have never been introduced as the next Hokage. It feels incredible, I think I love you.”

“…Okay,” Tanjiro replied, turning back to the other two. “He’s also a big softy, so treat each other well.”

“Oh, so he’s the ninja,” Zenitsu said, as he furrowed his brow. ‘He’s about our age. Did he see my precious Nezuko in a less than ideal state?! No, calm yourself Zenitsu, if Tanjiro’s not mad at him, I have no reason to… even if he’s blonde like me and has blue eyes of all things! Life is so unfair!’

Inosuke said nothing. The pig-man simply took a few steps and walked right up to Naruto, meeting the ninja right up in his face, Naruto’s face inches from his boar mask. Naruto tensed, sensing hostility from the dual swordsman, as Inosuke seemed to stare him down. Naruto glared right back, his fist clenched and inches from his weapon pouch.

“Got a problem?” Naruto asked, as Tanjiro quickly called for Inosuke to calm down.

“Maybe,” Inosuke replied.

“…And?” Naruto shot back.

“…Depending on your answer,” Inosuke warned, his voice oozing venom. “I might just cut you down right here and now.”

“Oh really?” Naruto said as his chakra began to increase its flow across his body, the familiar feeling of power hitting him once again. He stared Inosuke down, and the pig glared right back.

“Are you…?”

“Yeah…?”

“…a demon?”

“…no?”

“…”

“…”

“Okay!” Inosuke happily replied, leaving Naruto even more confused. Inosuke then turned to an equally confused Tanjiro and Zenitsu, and offered the two a thumbs up. “He isn’t a demon. So it’s okay!”

The other three individuals present just kept quiet, deciding that it would be for the best to simply be glad Inosuke had welcomed Naruto into their group, in his own unique way, and move on. Zenitsu then began to relay the information given to them, how their destination was to be somewhere within the vast desert itself, and how they were supposed to be a team of five Slayers. Tanjiro noted, that while they were currently a party of five right there and then, if only Slayers were to be counted, they were two short, as neither Nezuko nor Naruto counted as on.

“So we’re still missing two more?” Zenitsu asked, feeling even safer now that he knew they were going to be an even bigger group.

“Five huh?” Naruto muttered, his arms crossed as he looked out into the dessert. “You guys sure like to travel in large groups. We ninja usually keep our teams at four.”

“Are you a strong ninja Boruto?” Inosuke asked the blonde Shinobi, who had his trademark foxlike face in place.

“Who’s Boruto?!” Naruto blurted out. “I mean, it’s a nice name, but I’m Naruto, like what you put in ramen!”

“…I like ramen,” the pig admitted.

“I like ramen too,” the happy ninja agreed.

‘Two more…’ Tanjiro mused, as he looked on from his quirky companions and towards the road before them. ‘What kind of mission is this that they decide to send so many of us to? I mean, groups of Slayers is nothing new, and as far as I know, none of the Pillars will be joining us, so it’s probably not a big deal. Still… I can’t shake this feeling of dread. Best be on our guard…’

-0-

As the foursome of boys and their sleeping demoness got themselves ready to head out to their mission, while also waiting for their remaining comrades, a lone figure looked on from afar, her eyes scanning the group. She had arrived before even Zenitsu had, and had had every intention on joining them, but as more and more shenanigans transpired between them, she couldn’t muster the courage to do so. She wanted to, and it was her mission, self-chosen to boot.

“Are you sure about this?” she remembered Aoi ask her. “Those boys are nothing but trouble.”

She had nodded as a response.

“My advice?” Aoi had told her. “Don’t go lowering your guard with Tanjiro just because he has this “nice guy” vibe to him. You need to look out for yourself, first and foremost… But still, it is surprising… That you actually asked to be sent alongside them. Why was that?”

She had no answer.

And now, faced with them all. Faced with him once again, she felt it hard to move. Hard to breathe even. And she had mastered continues breathing before any of them! Why was she now feeling like this? So she swallowed hard, and just like what he had told her before he had left, she decided to go out and meet up with them. Coin not required.

So, with her blade firmly by her side, Kanao Tsuyuri began to move towards the group, ready to, somehow, be able to exchange a few words with them, no matter how hard it would be. She could do this. She would make her adoptive sisters proud.

Then she felt a shiver run down her entire spine. Out of instinct if nothing else, she took out her blade and swung it back, stopping an inch from the neck of the person that had appeared right behind her. The young man, likewise dressed as a Slayer just like they all were, was unmoved by her near attack, as he simply took a look at her blade and offered her a smile.

“Nice reflexes,” he praised, his eyes scanning her from top to bottom, something which caused her some discomfort. But, she knew him. Or rather, knew of him.

“…My apologies,” she said, her tone as dry as it was those very few times she spoke. “You must be our fifth member.”

“Why of course,” he answered, smile still ever present. “Never did think I’d be accompanied by the Insect Pillar’s handpicked champion of all people. This mission might not be that hard after all, if I’m counting on your strength.”

“…” Kanao said nothing. She knew she should be concerned, but something just didn’t seem right. Aoi had always warned her about how some boys could be dangerous. She had never paid her much mind. If they were dangerous, she could be worse, that was Kanao’s mindset. But this guy, something about him made her uneasy, even if she couldn’t quite describe it. But, in the end, it didn’t matter. The Corps had decided on them being a team, so she couldn’t argue against it. For the duration of this mission, whether any of them liked it or not…

…The Thunder-Breathing Slayer Kaigaku was to be their Team Leader.


	4. The Nameless City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Zancrow here!
> 
> We are now moving onto the meat of the story. I feel that I did have to focus a bit much on exposition in these last few chapters to somewhat better align both worlds, but if I stick to that, there won’t be much fun to be had. So with the first ever team-up mission between a Leaf Ninja and the Demon Slayers (that we know of) on its way, we can finally begin to pick up speed!
> 
> Want more? Find more chapters at FFnet! Also, thank you one and all!

“And I’m telling you that it was the single most, outright creepiest thing I’ve ever seen!” was the cry heard all across the halls leading to the main office, as the trio of ninja made their way through. Having been summoned by the Hokage herself, it was clear they were being assigned a new mission, that much was a given, but what had been a bit surprising was how they were purposely grouped up once again. With all the Jounin and most of the Chunin out of the village, it made sense for the apt Genin to be given the lower rank missions so that the Village could gain some much needed money in the meantime while they waited for the higher ranking Shinobi to return.

Still, Shikamaru noted, it was oddly nostalgic for the Hokage to purposely reunite Team 10 like this.

“I’m not saying it wasn’t,” Chouji stated as he walked right next to Shikamaru, although the chubby ninja’s attention was focused on the bag of chips on his hands and the blonde Kunoichi on the other side. “But, like, you weren’t there! When we went up against those four creeps, the transformed into some mighty scary looking guys. Even the girl was scary!”

“Especially the girl…” Shikamaru muttered, as he tried his best not to shiver at the reminder of his fight against the Sound Four Kunoichi, who would have surely left him with a lot more than a broken digit had the somehow even scarier Sand Kunoichi not arrived at the scene in time to do a surprise save.

“Yeah, and you two always describe those guys as “demonic”, right?” Ino asked the two, her eyes narrowed in analysis.

“Well, yeah…” Chouji said.

“It’s an apt comparison,” Shikamaru added.

“Well, and I’m telling you that the bodies that have been appearing all over the forest look like the handiwork of actual demons,” Ino explained. “Like serious, ritual-like sacrifices and stuff.”

“But, it’s just Ninjustu right?” Chouji asked, feeling a bit nervous about it all. “Like what that bastard Orochimaru had been caught doing? Or something like that?”

“Lady Tsunade thinks otherwise,” Ino answered. “She says that while it is similar, there’s not a trace of invasive chakra to be found, which is almost impossible. Not being able to identify a suspect’s chakra is one thing, but finding none? It’s like they were torn to shreds by wild animals, and these are Missing Nin we are talking about. Hardly people who’d fall prey to a random animal attack.”

“Creepy…” Chouji commented, but added, “Still, I find the Sound guys to still be creepier.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you had to fight whatever did that to those Missing Nin…” Ino countered.

“I fought the Sound guy! I can handle whatever those things are!”

“At least the Sound Ninja don’t try and bite off your genitalia!”

“Well, they-Wait, what?!” Chouji almost choked on his chips.

“That’s what I’m saying!” Ino explained. “Those bodies were torn to shreds, eaten alive while the person was still alive. Strong people, reduced to an all-you-can-eat buffet, not the way I’d want to go… especially with how thoroughly they eat you.”

Chouji was still gasping for air.

“…We are so ending this conversation right here,” Shikamaru, likewise unnerved, stated, as he was ever-so grateful to finally reach the main office. Ino, satisfied at having won the “argument”, decided to drop it, all the while Chouji looked about to faint. With such a “steady” resolve, Team 10 reported themselves before the Hokage, as Tsunade glanced up from her paperwork-loaded desk and at the trio.

“Ah, you’re here, good,” Tsunade quickly “greeted”, as she moved her hand towards the mountain of papers and folders before her. She skimmed through them, again and again, growing agitated, as she seemed not to find what she was looking for. The trio before her just stared, confused but not surprised, but they preferred to keep quiet. “Oh, blast it all, Sakura, get in here! Where is Team 10’s mission guidelines?”

Sakura took less than three seconds to “poof” into the office. Ino could only hold up an audible gasp at just how tired the Kunoichi looked, with her trademark pink hair a mess and heavy bags under her eyes.

‘Just how hard is she working you…?’ Ino mentally asked.

“It’s right here Milady,” a heavily exhausted Sakura stated, as she picked the very first document in the desk and handed in to Tsunade, who glared at the document as if it had purposely hidden itself from her.

“Ah, right, thanks,” she offered her pupil who nodded, and without being told so but knowing she was going to anyways, turned and handed the document to Shikamaru, who, as the only Chunin of the team, was to be the Team Leader.

“…Thanks, Sakura, you okay?” Shikamaru asked, actually growing a bit concerned at seeing her like this. “You look a bit…”

“You look like shit Billboard Brow,” Ino finished his sentence, in far less delicate terms than Shikamaru would have used.

“Oh, this, it’s nothing,” Sakura offered weakly. “You know how it is, between missions and training, and now all those autopsy cases that keep piling up, with so many half eaten bodies at the morgue that I’m almost certain an outbreak of disease is imminent unless we start burning them, well, I’m good I guess.”

“…right…” the trio before her answered in unison, deciding to take her word for it for now.

“Now then,” Tsunade began, and all attention returned towards their leader. “Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji. You have before you your next mission. This time, you’ll be helping out a friend in need that gave you guys a hand not that long ago. See to it that we answer in kind.”

“Friend in need? You mean…?” Shikamaru asked, as he glanced down and say the location they were to set out towards. “Suna?”

“Wait, that’s…?” Chouji began.

“The Land of Sand!?” Ino concluded.

“Precisely,” the Hokage confirmed. “It seems that there have been a few disappearances recently near the border of their territory, and just like us, they are very short handed to deal with such an emergency. Even worse, unlike us, they still don’t have a Kage, and as such the Village Elders are the ones handling the day-to-day offerings of the Village, but this seems to be a growing problem. The villagers are growing restless, and they find themselves in need of solving this quickly. I can’t offer much, as most of my Shinobi are out, so you three have better deliver for us on this front… Ino.”

“Y-Yes ma’am!”

“They also found a corpse recently, and while details are vague, it seems to share some similarities with the ones we’ve been finding all over our terrain. You saw one of the ones we found, of our ex-instructor Mizuki. I need you to verify if there is any possible connection between that and the one they’ve found over at the Village Hidden in the Sand. Understood?”

“Of course!”

“Good, so get yourselves ready, you leave in an hour,” Tsunade concluded, and the three Shinobi before her nodded in response. As the trio, and Sakura, prepared to move out, they were stopped by the Hokage. “Oh, and one more thing!”

The four stopped.

“While I can’t confirm this, given how very little information Jiraiya had given me on the issue, it seems that near that area, our certain favorite knucklehead of a ninja is doing… something or the other.”

“Wait, you mean…?” Shikamaru asked, his eyes widening a bit at the notion of a possible meat-up with him, of all people.

“Naruto…?” Sakura softly voiced, her eyes likewise as wide, and her expression a bit more lively than it had been just moments prior.

“Who else fits that description?” Tsunade said. “Seems our little troublemaker found himself caught up with these events, which just goes to show how widespread I fear it could be. Regardless, every single thing Jiraiya told us in his briefing, for as little as it is, is in that document, so read up on your way there. And if you do bump into Naruto, remind him he’s still reports to me, so he better help you guys out and he better keep himself safe. We don’t know much about these so called Demon Slayers to be offering the assistance so willy-nilly.”

“Did you say…? Demon Slayers?” Chouji asked, trembling a bit as Ino’s description of the bodies they’ve found began to ring in his ears. Now, fighting one of the Sound Four didn’t sound that bad all the sudden.

“Wait, Lady Tsunade, don’t tell me Naruto got involved with… that.”

“We don’t know for sure,” Tsunade earnestly responded. “Hopefully, with this mission on its way, we’ll have some answers soon.”

“But… those things, if they really are demons…”

“Don’t worry your massive forehead over this Sakura,” Ino butted in, shit-eating grin ever present. “We’ll be sure to keep your boyfriend safe and sound, alright?”

“No one asked for your input Porker!” Sakura barked back.

As the two began to argue, their way of telling each other two stay safe until they were together again, Shikamaru had learned to note, the details of this mission still made the young tactician feel heavily uneasy. Fighting strong opponents was nothing new for a Leaf Ninja, in fact, it was to be expected. And unlike the disastrous Sasuke Retrieval Mission, outright the hardest fights Shikamaru had ever had in his life, this still felt like they had more control. Had more options. Had more time. But even so, a part of him felt outright dread over it all.

‘I just hope you’re not neck-deep in all of this Naruto,’ Shikamaru thought to himself, ‘Please at least keep yourself away from ground zero. You can do at least that much, right? Right?’

…Right?

-0-

“Hi! I’m Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage and right now Substitute Demon Slayer!” the cheeky Ninja introduced himself, hand extended and all smiles.

“My, you’re a spunky one, ain’t ya?” the current leader of their team, the heir of the Thunder Pillar, Kaigaku, noted. He offered Naruto a short but ever so firm handshake in return, which delighted the boy. He liked this guy. “I’m Kaigaku, and I’ve been informed you will be offering your assistance to us on this mission Leaf Ninja. We are ever so grateful.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal, just, you know, doing my part and all that,” the ever flustered Naruto replied as he rubbed the back of his head, both embarrassed and elated to have his ego rubbed just the way he liked it.

“…U-Um, Kaigaku, it’s been a while, I-I mean, I look forwards to-” Zenitsu approached his superior, and he hoped, comrade, offering a greeting of his own, but he was interrupted before he could properly speak by the latter.

“Same,” Kaigaku coldly replied and walked away from a taken aback Zenitsu, who just bit his lip and looked down. He had thought that perhaps it would be best to keep quiet for the remainder of the mission, lest he further insult the Thunder Pillar’s legacy, but he was quickly surprised by someone else tapping him lightly on the shoulder. He looked up, half expecting Tanjiro, but it was someone way, way, way more unexpected.

“…K-Kanao!”

The petite girl offered the blonde Demon Slayer a soft smile and a wave as greeting, which shocked the boy so much he almost fainted. He had never, ever seen this girl emote, let alone actually come to greet him. Him! His mood now did a 180, and he was bright smiles once again, which he failed to realize had probably been her intention all along.

“It’s great to see you again! I-I can’t believe you are going along with us for this mission! Must be a toughie, right, considering how they sent you! Right? What made you come all this way to us?” Zenitsu spoke so fast that Kanao had a hard time following it all, but she still nodded and offered a response. Not a spoken one, she didn’t quite feel ready for it, but she did point to the side. Zenitsu turned, following her finger, then felt his soul leave his body.

She was pointing at Tanjiro.

She then turned back to Zenitsu, and smiled, and he felt both happy and betrayed.

‘Does this mean, that she and Tanjiro… are…?’

Zenitsu almost fainted, and Kanao looked on, not knowing what she had done wrong.

“And you must be Tanjiro Kamado,” Kaigaku addressed the boy with the mark on his forehead, who offered his elder a polite bow. “The ever-famed Demon Slayer who carried a demon on his back,” Kaigaku added, as his eyes shifted from Tanjiro towards the box behind him. “…Is that where you carry it?”

“Her,” Tanjiro corrected. “And yes, she’s there, sleeping. She needs her rest, but don’t worry, I alone suffice to assist this team with everything and anything it’ll need.”

“Good to know, I like you spirit,” Kaigaku stated, smiling at the wary boy and turned his attention elsewhere. “Then let’s move on, we have a mission to complete, and time is of the essence. Get everything you need now, so we… can-”

Kaigaku then stared at Inosuke.

Inosuke stared back.

…

“And I can do this,” Inosuke told Kaigaku, as he curled up into a ball.

“…You certainly can,” was all Kaigaku replied.

‘He’s certainly a brash one,’ Tanjiro noted, as his eyes kept staring at Kaigaku’s back. ‘Still, just because he’s rude doesn’t make him an enemy. Heck, he’s still friendlier than Genya, or that bastard Sanemi for one.’

Tanjiro sighed, then turned back to see what Zenitsu or Naruto were doing, leaving Inosuke to his attempts at impressing and proving his superiority to Kaigaku, but his sight was blocked by a sudden appearance.

“…Hi.”

“Oh, hey, Kanao, you’re with us! So, you’re the fifth member then?!” a surprised Tanjiro greeted Kanao as she seemed to have teleported right in front of him without him noticing. How did she even manage that? Had he been that distracted? He had not even managed to pick up on her scent until after she startled him. Not that she smelled. In fact, she smelled like flowers. Incredibly well even…

He shook his head. That train of thought did not seem right.

“I’m glad you’ll be the one going along with us,” Tanjiro tried to keep the conversation going, pushing any and all thought on how good this girl smelled out of his teenaged head. “Are you ready for the fights? I have to say, I’m outright eager to see you fight, given how insanely strong you are.”

“…Yes.”

Was all she replied before she nodded and walked right past him, leaving Tanjiro surprised and without any words, half wondering if she had read his mind somehow.

To the side, an unamused Zenitsu looked on next to a still giddy Naruto. Both blondes looked on, both on the opposite spectrum when it came to how they were feeling.

“Love is wasted on the blind… right?” Zenitsu figured Naruto would at least understand.

“Oh, yeah, totally!” Naruto totally did not.

-0-

“We should set up camp here,” Kaigaku instructed the group, signaling to his surroundings. Night had begun to fall, and after several long hours of wondering the vast desert, the group seemed in need of some rest. The desert’s unforgiving weather was not offering them any sympathies, as the harsh, hot sun had quickly shifted into a very cold nightfall, and the group of young swordsmen felt out of their element here. “It’s not wise to seek out those bastards during the night, we don’t want them to have the advantage over us.”

“Understood,” the ever good boy Tanjiro quickly replied, as he set his belongings down and began to use the tools handed to them by Goto before they departed to set up a tent of sorts. In his defense, Tanjiro was quick with his hands, but the end result was not the best example of a proper tent.

“…That thing looks like a slight breeze would topple it over…” Kaigaku muttered, and Tanjiro’s eyes widened as he turned back to his work of art.

“Ah! You think? I know I haven’t done this in a while, but am I that rusty?” he asked himself more than he did their team leader. “…Master would be disappointed.”

“Kaigaku! Look! I got the tent set up!” an overly eager Zenitsu told his upperclassmen, and Kaigaku just stared at Zenitsu’s work for a moment before he shrugged it off. It was passable, he supposed, but he need not pay him of all people no mind.

Then he saw Inosuke’s tent.

No, calling it a tent would be an insult to even Tanjiro’s attempt.

The boar had just rolled up into the material, spikes and all, and now looked like some overstuffed porcupine with his boar mask sticking out from one end and his ass from the other.

“Never seen one like this, have you!?” the boar proudly exclaimed.

“I have not,” was the honest reply.

Kaigaku then turned to their last sword wielding member, and of course, she had a picture-perfect tent already erected and possibly furnished, all with that characteristically emotionless blank stare. She was somewhat creepy, Kaigaku noted, now that he had an actual opportunity to examine her. ‘Not unattractive, I’d say,’ he inwardly noted, ‘She looks pretty damn good even, and that quiet attitude might make for a fine wife. Wonder if I can take this opportunity to-’

“Hold that end!”

“I’m holding it!”

“Not that one you idiot, the one on the left!”

“This is the one on the left!”

“Not your left! My left!”

“Be more specific! We’re the same guy!”

The Demon Slayers just looked on, Tanjiro bemused while the others looked different shades of shocked and outright frightened at the sight of several Narutos fighting over how to set their tent up, all doing an admirable poor job at it despite the several dozen hands at the job.

“Umm… Tanjiro?” Zenitsu spoke up as he approached Tanjiro, pointing weakly at the mess of shadow clones before them. “Can he, like, multiply himself?”

“Yeah, I was just as surprised as you are when I first saw it,” Tanjiro replied. “They call those arts Ninjutsu, and they use this life energy of sorts called Chakra to activate it. Pretty cool stuff if you think about it.”

“…It’s not that amazing,” a somewhat jealous Inosuke stated, appearing next to the other two, still wrapped up in his tent like some pissed off looking burrito.

“It’s insanely amazing, what are you talking about?” Zenitsu shot back. “Can you even imagine how much easier it would be to fight demons if you could literally become a one-man army? Oh, I could just sit back and send my copies in to fight, no longer at risk of being horribly mangled to death! Just me, and my dozen cop-”

Wait.

“Do female ninjas also know those tricks?!?!” Zenitsu shouted, asking the important questions.

“I think…” the ever innocent Tanjiro replied, before he turned to the clones. “Hey, Naruto, can female ninjas use that copy Jutsu of yours?”

“Huh?” came a dozen unison replied. Annoyed by the crowd, the real Naruto dispersed the clones, and as soon as he did, his tent became unraveled and fell down. The annoyed ninja decided to ignore this and say screw it to all, if the boar guy was going to sleep using the tent as a blanket, then so could he! “Uh… yeah. I haven’t met a Kunoichi who could use as many as I can, but there are some very talented girls I’ve met who could probably make, I dunno, five at a time. Maybe more. Why?”

“Oh, just cur-” Tanjiro began, but was cut off.

“FIVE!?!?” Zenitsu squealed with joy. “You’re telling me these lovely girls can multiply themselves up to five times?! Like, how amazing a world do you come from?!”

“I could beat five-” Inosuke began, but was cut off.

“NOT WHAT I MEAN YOU POOR SIMPLETON!!!” Zenitsu practically yelled in Inosuke’s ear, which left the poor savage boy half deaf. “Can you two pathetic excuses for male specimens not understand the virtue behind such a technique?! Oh, how could you, when you took our ever-so lovely training under our ever-so lovely Kanao for granted, isn’t that right?”

Zenitsu turned to Kanao with sparkles in his eyes.

Kanao just stared.

“I’ll take that as a “right!”, he proudly proclaimed, and Tanjiro and Inosuke just looked on, utterly baffled. However, unlike the other two, Naruto was quick to flash a cheeky grin.

“Oh, a fellow man of the right culture, aren’t we?” Naruto said, as he took a step right next to Zenitsu and flicked his arm across the lightning swordsman’s shoulders. “These two don’t catch your drift, but I do. Jutsus have many implementations, and not many people are as imaginative as us, don’t you agree?”

“I do so much I could die!”

“Then let me let you in on a little secret,” the fox-faced Naruto whispered into Zenitsu’s ear, as the latter began to fantasize even further. “There’s a technique that’s even better than that, so amazing in fact, that it is still undefeated. You wanna see it?”

“I would trade my soul for it!”

“Perfect, then, stand back!” Naruto shouted out as he jumped back and landed with his hands forming a sign. Tanjiro’s eyes widened slightly at this. ‘That hand sign,’ Tanjiro thought, ‘I haven’t seen him use it before.’

“Transform!” 

A massive cloud of smoke erupted from Naruto’s position, so suddenly that it caused Kaigaku and Kanao to take a defensive stance instinctively, as Zenitsu, Tanjiro and Inosuke looked on, eagerly, confused, and aggressively respectively. Then the smoke began to clear…

“…Sexy Jutsu.”

…and a blonde, voluptuous nude woman appeared, posing suggestively before them, only the whiskers on her cheeks still hinting at who was behind the disguise.

“KYAAAAA!!!” Zenitsu squealed in delight. “You’re a genius!!”

“W-What i-is t-that N-Naru-t-to??” an ever nervous Tanjiro blurted out.

“He was a girl all along!” a completely off the mark Inosuke “realized”.

“…” Kanao said nothing, simply lessened her grip on her sword.

“Are you some kind of suicidal idiot?!” Kaigaku growled from the side, causing the lady formerly known as Naruto to jump defensively. “Are you trying to get us killed? If you use that much smoke and are as loud as you are, you’ll draw every demon to our location! I thought you were supposed to be a ninja! Silent and sneaky is in your damn job description, ain’t it?!”

“…sorry,” Naruto murmured as he undid the transformation and reverted back to his real form, head swung low in shame. Zenitsu was still ecstatic, heart for eyes, while Tanjiro was averting looking at anyone, trying his best to stop his nose from bleeding. Only Inosuke remained shocked, as the girl turned out to be a boy all along. What a twist!

As they all went back to their set up, Kaigaku took a few steps away, making sure no one was looking as he wiped the blood from his nose. ‘…What a dangerous technique.’

“Oh, looks like someone woke up,” Tanjiro said softly as he felt the box on his back began to shake. He softly set it down, removing the top, all the reveal his diminutive younger sister, sleepy eyes adorning her muzzled face. “Hey, sorry if we woke you with all the yelling.”

Nezuko stared for a moment, before she shook her head, and crawled out of the box, reverting to her actual height in the process.

“My lovely Nezuko!” Zenitsu exclaimed as he rushed to her side. “Ever so lovely, my dear, how was your sleep?”

Nezuko turned to him, and Tanjiro could swear she did her best to offer him a genuine smile, which caused both boys’ hearts to skip a beat. Inosuke, in turn, raised his hand and offered a rough “Yo!” to the girl, who imitated his gesture and offered a muffled “Hmh!” in return. Then she took out a worn out jacket, which severely confused Zenitsu. He wanted to ask, either her or Tanjiro, but she quickly handed it to the side, where Naruto stood.

“Oh, right, you had that with you, I totally forgot,” Naruto said as he took his jacket back, quickly redressing himself in his trademark style. Nezuko offered him a thumbs up, likely as thanks for letting her burrow the jacket, which caused Zenitsu to inwardly boil alive in a mix of jealously and betrayal.

“…H-How can I admire someone so much and also wish him a very violent death at the same time?” Zenitsu muttered, teeth clenched, with Naruto none the wiser. The others just looked on, unsure of what was happening.

“Alright, let’s try and keep the stupidity at a minimum for now, alright?” Kaigaku announced, as he took a seat in the sand, signaling the others to follow suit. They all did, forming a circle between all seven of them, with each member of the newly formed team awaiting further instructions from their would-be team leader. “…Good,” Kaigaku expressed, “We are working with limited information. Not much is known what exactly is causing all the disappearances here. It being the work of a demon is likely, but as we are in Shinobi territory, we can’t fully discard one of them being responsible. Hence, I presume, is why Master Ubuyashiki asked our… comrade here,” he said, signaling to Naruto, “to accompany us on this mission. Where that to be the case, well, it wouldn’t be our problem anymore now would it?”

“Who’s Master Ubuyashiki?” Naruto softly asked as he leaned towards Tanjiro.

“Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki is our leader, and current figurehead of the Demon Slayer Corps,” Tanjiro answered. “If anything, I’d say he’s our Hokage, going by how you described the position.”

“Oh, so he must be a really strong guy.”

“…I would have thought the same,” Tanjiro said. “But, as far as I know, he’s not a fighter. Not that it makes him any less dangerous an opponent. He’s insanely smart, and there’s something about him that commands respect. I’m… not sure how to properly describe him. Then again, I’ve haven’t had many interactions with him.”

Naruto simply nodded in understanding at each word Tanjiro said, making a mental note how this Ubuyashiki guy was someone he wanted to get to meet someday.

“So, if we’re clear on that,” Kaigaku continued. “Let’s focus on getting some rest so we can be head out as soon as sunlight appears… Zenitsu,” Kaigaku seemed to outright struggle to get that name out. They boy in question lit up slightly, turning his head from facing the sand towards his superior.

“Y-Yes?”

“You get first watch,” he instructed. “See anything moving out there, and you wake me the hell up, got it?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“…And who else?” Tanjiro was quick to ask, even going as far as raising his hand to do so properly.

“Who else what?” Kaigaku spat out.

“Zenitsu can’t be expected to remain on-guard throughout the whole night,” Tanjiro explained. “He’ll be worn out and restless come the mission tomorrow, and it could end up putting him in harm’s way.”

“…Yeah, I was going to set up someone else after him, that we he could rest well,” Kaigaku said, and Tanjiro didn’t know if his smell could theoretically be considered able to smell lies, but if he could, this would be one of those cases. “So, how ‘bout it? You volunteer?”

“Sure,” Tanjiro replied without hesitation. The look Zenitsu gave him was one of utter gratefulness.

“Great, so we’re settled,” Kaigaku said. “So let’s us get back to… What now?”

Kaigaku glared at Naruto, who had also raised his hand.

“I need to go pee!”

“…You don’t have to ask for permission for that!”

“Then… I’m going to go pee!”

“You don’t have to announce it either! Just go!”

Naruto quickly bounced on his heels and leaped his way towards a nearby sand hill, which he could use as cover while he did his business. Because, as Sakura had once put it, no one wanted to see him pee…

…Then he returned, not even two seconds after he had left.

“Hey, Kagiku!”

“It’s Kaigaku you moron,” the elder boy spat out, before he visibly struggled to keep his anger in check. “…What is it?”

“Is it normal for there to be a cave out there in the middle of nowhere?” Naruto asked as he pointed in the direction he had just come back from.

“A cave?”

-0-

To Kaigaku’s surprise, Naruto had not been wrong. Out there, in the middle of nowhere, a cave of some sort had just… appeared. Or, that is to say, not exactly a “cave”. It seemed more like a stone stairwell, leading downwards into the very sands, nothing but sheer darkness to be seen within. The seven teens stood in front of it, each examining the strange structure in their own way, none sure of what it even was.

“Do the reports mention any sort of structure of this sort around these parts?” Tanjiro asked Kaigaku, who merely shook his head.

“No, there’s no such mention,” Kaigaku replied, as his eyes narrowed. “…Still, this is around the area were the disappearance started.”

“This looks like a gateway to hell,” Naruto stated bluntly, causing Zenitsu to shriek.

“Don’t go spitting my thoughts out of your mouth like that!” he exclaimed to Naruto, who turned to him with a confused look.

“You were thinking that too?”

“Of course! What else does this thing look like?”

“…One-hundred and eight steps,” Kanao softly spoke, and the others turned to her, noticing how focused she was on looking at the entrance.

“You can see that far down?” Tanjiro asked, surprised.

“…Yes,” Kanao simply answered, her eyes shifting from the ever consuming darkness towards a nearby Tanjiro, who had an expression that was nothing short of impressed. She studied him briefly, wondering why this boy could get words out of her like he did, unsure of why it was he had that effect on her. To his side, clinging to him as per usual, Kanao eyes Nezuko, also looking into the darkness, but there was more to it. Her eyes… “…Is she alright?”

“Huh? Nezuko?” Tanjiro asked, turning to his little sister. And he saw it too. She was clinging to him, her nails buried into his robes, her eyes narrowed with vein slowly showing. It wasn’t fear, which had been his first thought. No, it looked like anger, rage. Whatever was down there, Nezuko did not like it. And that left little doubt in his mind. “Nezuko,” he spoke again, firmer this time. Enough so that it managed to get the demon girl’s attention. “You alright?”

“Hmm…” she voiced, but loosened her grip.

“Nezuko is probably sensing something,” Tanjiro told the others, as he faced Kaigaku. “My guess? Whoever is responsible for all of this is somewhere down there.”

“Dark, creepy and weird, sounds legit,” Kaigaku said, as he turned to the rest. “Then let’s move. No sense in waiting for sunlight anymore, as there is no way sunlight is reaching that far down.”

“Wait!” Zenitsu blurted out, which caused Kaigaku to glare at him. He almost froze, but shook his head, he needed to say this. “Shouldn’t we inform someone about this? If this is where everyone is going missing, we shouldn’t follow suit by going down there without anyone knowing. If we are lost, no one would know where to find us and we’ll all be back at square one.”

“If you are afraid to die,” Kaigaku shot back. “Then you should simply quit this life and do something else, don’t insult us true warriors with that nonsense.”

“He’s not wrong though.” Zenitsu was surprised by the sudden assist, especially from an unlikely source. The ninja in orange stared Kaigaku down, his eyes fixated on the elder sword wielder. “Back in my village, we do leave signs hidden for our comrades to find. Being careful is not the same as being scared. One must see through deception after all, and that dark, creepy place looks as devious as anything.”

“Don’t confuse your role, Shinobi,” Kaigaku warned. “You are here to assist, I’m here to lead. If you disagree, be gone. I can manage without your “expertise”.”

“Hey, I’m just trying to help!” Naruto barked back, getting right up to Kaigaku’s face. “You know how many guys I’ve had to deal with that have that very same attitude problem you have pal? Plenty! And you remind me of all of them!”

“Like I care!”

“You should!”

“Pig assault!!”

“You tell him-huh?” Naruto paused, wondering what the heck had just been said, before he and all the others were left dumbfounded as Inosuke had simply shrugged and began to race down the steps, swords drawn, ready to face the unknown.

“Inosuke, wait!” Tanjiro shouted out, as he rushed to his friend’s aid, running through the dark steps after the flailing pig.

Nezuko followed quickly behind, rushing after her brother, and at that sight, Zenitsu ran after the three, screaming at them to stop and listen to reason. It fell on deaf ears, as Naruto, Kanao and Kaigaku were left outside, utterly flabbergasted.

“They didn’t,” Kaigaku almost spat out as venom.

“…” Kanao seemed like she wanted to say something, but she kept quiet, deciding to simply take a deep breath and chase after her teammates, much to the continued shock that Kaigaku was experiencing.

“They are seriously going to get murdered!” Kaigaku shouted out, and Naruto could not tell if he meant by demons or by Kaigaku personally. The next-in-line Thunder Slayer decided to ignore his argument with the ninja and ran towards the stairs as well, now even more annoyed at the fact that they all had entered before him. This left Naruto outside, alone, unsure of what his life had become.

“…Since when am I… the voice of reason…?” he muttered, before shaking his head and steading his resolve. A quick hand sign, and he shouted, “Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Another Naruto appeared, sporting the same dumbfounded expression as the original. Still, he didn’t need to tell him what to do, as the both knew their roles. Naruto would go down and stay with the others, while the clone would keep guard outside, just in case. Without a word, Naruto raised downwards, clenching his fists in anticipation, all the while he tried his best to ignore the strange feeling building up in his belly…

…the seal placed on his stomach burning ever so slightly.

-0-

The darkness was suffocating.

Even after his eyes grew accustomed to the increased darkness, it was still incredibly hard to see any further than a few feet from his face, badly at that. Still, all seven were still there, so no one had gotten eaten, which was a good sign Naruto imagined.

‘…Wait,’ Naruto thought, as he squinted a bit more. ‘No… There’s only six of us here! Damn it, someone did get gobbled up!’

“Did the pig guy die?” Kaigaku bluntly asked, also noticing they were missing a member.

“Inosuke’s fine,” Tanjiro replied, making sure to pronounce his friend’s name with emphasis. “I don’t smell blood, and I can smell him nearby,” he explained, even if his face twisted a bit as he did. ‘But, this place, the smell is so strong. It’s like decay, but… different at the same time. It’s not exactly like a demon, but, it transcends every other scent almost entirely.’

“Inosuke! Get back here!” Zenitsu ordered, even as his voice began to break a bit. This place was outright the third freakiest place he had ever been in, and considering he had almost gotten himself killed in a spooky forest, a rotating mansion, another spooky forest (but with spiders!) and a murder train, that was saying a lot!

“There are three routes in this room, excluding the stairwell we used,” Kanao firmly stated, surprising Naruto when she spoke more than a single syllable at once. Similarly, how could she even tell? He couldn’t even count his fingers properly in this darkness.

“You sure? I can’t see a damn thing,” Naruto replied, even if he expected no answer in return. But, to his surprise, she quickly shifted her attention to him.

“Yes, I am,” she said. “I can see well, even in the dark.”

She did not blink as she said this, and Naruto could only nod in response. ‘She’s cute as hell but creepy at the same time. The way she looks at people, it’s reminds me of Hinata, just way more cold and creepy… actually, scratch that, she reminds me of Neji.’

“This place is a maze!” came a shout from one of the entrances, causing both Naruto and Zenitsu to jolt and land hugging one another, not realizing it was Inosuke walking towards them.

“Keep quiet you idiot, how many times do I have to tell you!” Kaigaku roared, ironically ignoring his own order. “And if you run off again, I’m leaving you behind, got it?!”

“Sure, sure,” Inosuke replied, as he joined the group, one hand in his pocket…

…as he drew out a kunai.

“Pig Assault!” was heard throughout the darkness, as before the team could react, another Inosuke came flying out of the shadows and smacked the first Inosuke to the side, causing both boars to roll a bit and land next to a nearby wall, one holding the other to it.

“-The hell?!” Kaigaku shot out, as he and the others drew their swords, save for Naruto and Nezuko, the former who really wished he had one right about now. “Did a demon take his form?”

“No,” Tanjiro replied, as he moved towards the two boars. “Nezuko didn’t react to either of them. Which means, it’s the technique Naruto used before!”

“Wait! Inosuke’s naked?!” Zenitsu screamed, in his mind picturing the Sexy Jutsu girl with a boar mask on.

“Not that technique!” Tanjiro shot back, as he reached the two dueling Inosukes, then he paused. ‘Damn it, that stench is making it too hard for me to tell them apart!’

Before he could decipher the situation, one of the Inosukes, the one being held, turned into a ‘poof’ of smoke, leaving the other (real) Inosuke behind holding a plank of wood. As the boar looked at the offending wood, moments from smashing it into the floor as he still believed that to be the enemy, the fake Inosuke reappeared on the side, swords drawn, and aiming to cut him down. Inosuke flipped, tossing the wood into fake Inosuke’s snout, and using the distraction to clash swords with him. In a flurry of four swords clashing against each other, Tanjiro took aim, now clear on who the fake one was. ‘I won’t lose your scent anym-’

His declaration was cut short by another figure landing right behind him, a rather heavy individual who caused a noteworthy ‘boom’ the moment he hit the ground.

“Ice Release: Frozen Pillars Jutsu!”

“Everyone, get ba-!” Naruto screamed out, but his shout was cut short as a massive amount of ice began to cover the area, filling the vast, empty room to the brim. The Slayers had no choice but to bounce back, the ice outright reaching out to them as if alive.

“Inosuke!” Tanjiro shouted out, as he saw the ice seal the way towards his friend. But it was too late. Within seconds, the entire area was covered with ice, and Tanjiro could no longer smell anything.

Both Inosuke and his similar looking opponent were left to their own devices, clashing swords, but the moment Inosuke heard Tanjiro’s yell, his clenched his swords tighter. “Second Fang: Rip and Tear!”

With an “X” shaped slash with his swords with a beastly power behind them, Inosuke broke his opponent’s blades, pushing the fake onto the wall once more, then following it up by smashing his foot directly onto his opponents chest.

“Your mistake was challenging the great Inosuke first,” he told his fake. “Tell me what it is we’re looking for in here!”

“…You certainly have a way with women, don’t ya big boy?” the other Inosuke “said”, but the fake actually used the boar mask as if it were the real face, creating an effect that seemed to unnerve even Inosuke.

“How did you-?”

“Ice Release: Ice Clone Jutsu!” his opponent said with a flash of a smirk. Within moments, several ice-made copies of Inosuke filled the small space both he and his opponent had been forced to fight in, while the fake Inosuke transformed from a topless, muscular boy, and into an armored up, young woman. “And here I thought all you Slayers were quick to aim for the neck!”

“Wait!” Inosuke tried, but soon his snowy clones began to attack him, and he was forced to fight back, clashing his sword with their ice ones, which, to be fair, did not hold up that well against a Nichirin blade. “Damn you! Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting!”

With a furry of slashes, Inosuke cut down all of his clones within a moment, and unfortunately for him, he was left alone afterwards, his original opponent long gone. He could feel his blood boil.

“Damn it you crazy bitch!” he screamed out so loud the nearby ice wall cracked a bit. “You have to tell me how you made the mask’s mouth move! That looked so damn cool!”

-0-

“They’ve engaged,” a man spoke up, sensing the clash beginning several rooms away from his current location. He needed for it to work this time, his Master was not a man who would accept failure, no matter the excuse presented. But, at least this time, there were seven opponents. More than enough for a proper ritual sacrifice. “I shall make my move. Be prepared to take me to him once it is complete.”

His reply came in the form of a single musical note playing, as the demonic woman seating on the sand covered floors strung along to her wooden biwa.

“Understood.”


End file.
